Last time we saw in Scripture that
we are called to be saints and to fellowship with Jesus. And
because we are we come short in no gift. God will provide His gifts
for us as we need them whilst advancing His Kingdom. All Christians
are therefore called. Not just pastors and missionaries, but all
Christians. No matter your occupation, you are called by God to
represent Him and to spend time in His presence. You are His Temple
here on earth. You are the one where people can go to in order to
find God. Let us have a look at the Scriptures stating that we are
His Temple:
"Do you not know that you are
the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 1
Corinthians 3:16
"Or 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? For you were bought with a
price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20
"And what agreement has the
temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.
As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will
be their God, and they shall be My people." 2 Corinthians
6:16
We are the temple of God. And God
dwells in us. God makes His home in us. We need to get a revelation
of that. Everywhere we go, the temple of God goes. Everything we
touch, the temple of God touches. Everything we say, is as a
representative of the temple of God.
The Jews would have had a better
appreciation of what it meant to be the temple of God. They
physically saw the temple and they knew all the laws and
regulations concerning it. It is actually a very interesting study,
one that I might do with you one day. But in short for now, the
temple was a symbol that God's presence was with them, it was a
place where one could talk to God and it was a place where one
could get forgiveness of sins. It was also a place of celebration
with the many feasts that they had. With this in mind, being the
temple of God takes on new meaning.
If you are the temple, God's
presence is with you. People should be attracted to you, you should
glow with the presence of God coming from within. You can talk to
God any time and any place, because His temple is wherever you are.
You also have obtained forgiveness of sins through Jesus' death,
and non believers can come to you and you can lead them in prayer
to have their sins forgiven too. Plus being with God is a
celebration of life. He is life and in His presence it can
be celebrated and lived to the fullest.
God has always looked after His
Temple and He would look after you too. Be a polished, shimmering
temple, in other words, look after yourself. Be proud of your
appearance, not in a prideful manner, but in a manner honouring
God. Do not look neglected, untidy and disorganised. That doesn't
lure people closer to God. Rather look your best, comb your hair,
wear neat clean clothing and look the part that you are, a blessed
son of God.
When we were in Israel we went to
the Western wall. And as I sat there I looked up to where the
temple would have been and in an instance I felt the presence of
God so strongly, it totally consumed me. I had a glimmer of what it
might have been like in Solomon's day when the Shekinah glory of
God came down on the temple. It is breathtaking, it truly is. But I
realised that it must be that way every day for a Christian,
because God resides within us every single day. Not on occasional
moments, but always.
Sit somewhere this week and think
about what it means to you that you are the temple of God. Write
down the impact this mere statement can have on your life and thank
God that He chose you to live in. It is an honour and a privilege,
not one to be taken lightly. Be the best temple you can be.
Thank you Father that You reside
within us. Thank you for the privilege of being Your temple. We are
so grateful and we glorify Your Name. Help us to be the best
representatives of You that we can be. In Jesus' Name. Amen