Are you ready for an awesome thought to live with today? The Holy Spirit is alive and living in you right now! In fact, the Bible says,
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? — 1 Corinthians 6:19
In the Old Testament, God had a temple for His people. There they would come to worship Him through the giving of their animal sacrifices. But in this new dispensation, God’s temple is found in His people. You and me. We are His place of residence on this earth.
In the language of the New Testament, there are two Greek words we translate as temple. One describes the entire temple area and the Temple Mount, including the area where Jesus drove out the money changers (Mark 11:15). The other describes the inner sanctuary itself, the Holy of Holies. This is the holy place where only the high priest — and he only once a year — could enter and commune with the shekinah glory (the visible manifestation) of God Himself.
When Paul wrote of our body being the temple of the Holy Spirit, it was this latter word he used.
Think of it. You are God’s Holy of Holies on earth. With such a Guest living in your heart, allow God to cleanse the temple of your heart today from anything and everything that might be unpleasing to Him.
CODE WORD: WORSHIP
Many of us are so body conscious. We trim and tone. Some of us even tuck! When thinking of your own body today, let it remind you that God is living in you, that you are His Holy of Holies — and take time to worship Him.
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. — 1 Corinthians 6:20
Lord, to have paid such a high price for me, I must be of great value to You. Thank You for Your living presence in my life. Help me, each day, to more fully realize that You are truly alive in me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Excerpted from The Apostles Code by O. S. Hawkins, copyright Dr. O. S. Hawkins
How can you worship God in your body? And your spirit? Imagine the love the Lord has for You… Enough to create you, come to earth for you, die for you, rescue you, and offer to live inside of you.
A double portion for today . . .
“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
It’s a fact of life: as long as we live in this fallen world, trials, pain, wounds are unavoidable. Our experiences will differ from others; in details and degree, but all of us will suffer harm of some kind, likely many times along the way. We will all encounter situations that provide fertile ground for resentment and unforgiveness to take root and bloom in our hearts.
But here is another fact of life that may not be so obvious. The outcome of our lives is not determined by what happens to us or how others treat us but by how we respond to those “hard times.”
We will be affected by these painful circumstances that are a part of the fabric of our lives. But horrendous as they may be, those things do not have the power to control the outcome of who we are. They do not possess the authority to declare us victims.
Now this may not sound like good news, because it seems to place the burden of responsibility back on us, leaving us no one to blame for our issues. But I assure you that embracing this truth is vital in your spiritual journey.
When we as God’s children realize that His grace is sufficient for every situation, at that point we are no longer victims. We are free to rise above and move on beyond whatever may have been done to us, to release those who wronged us, and to become instruments of God’s grace, reconciliation, and redemption in the lives of other truly hurting people – even or especially in the lives of those who offend us.
We can be free, if we choose to follow Christ.
By God’s grace we can walk in peace, even in the midst of the tribulation and chaos of this world!
Pastor Dale