November 30, 2022
Our physical bodies are amazing. The dramatic composition of our brains, down to the simple functioning of the bones, muscles, and tendons in our toes speak of an extraordinary Creator. To study the human body is to discover more about God if we have eyes to see.
But there is one miracle beyond all else regarding the creation of our physical bodies. We were made to house God.
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
We are born into this world separated from God because of sin. This happened as a result of Adam’s sin in the Garden. We are sinners by birth. But if that were not enough, because of this separation, we become sinners by choice.
God had a plan from the beginning to redeem us and restore us. He sent His Son to die in our place, taking the penalty for our sins so that we could become forgiven, cleansed, and brought back into a relationship with Him. This miracle happens to all who believe.
SENDING THE SPIRIT
As He was preparing to leave the earth, Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us.
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
At the moment of our spiritual re-birth, the Holy Spirit—God in Spirit form—literally comes to dwell in us! Read that sentence again and be amazed! This is why Paul says when teaching the Corinthians about the dangers of immorality that our bodies are the temple that the Spirit indwells.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
HOUSING THE HOLY SPIRIT
What does this mean to us now? How shall we live when we are temples in which He abides?
We must acknowledge Him.
How rude and calloused would it be to ignore His presence? Never even acknowledging Him? Going for days without turning to Him in thanksgiving and looking to Him for guidance and power? His presence should result in constant acknowledgment in prayer.
We must let Him be in control.
Paul told us to be “filled (controlled) by the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). He is in us for the express purpose of helping us know God and be empowered. When the early believers feared coming persecution, they prayed and asked God for courage in Acts 4. They were “filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.”
We must follow His slightest promptings and the illumination He gives us from His Word.
He is in us to guide us. But if His presence is ignored, we will override His leadership and go foolishly on our own way. What an insult to the Divine who loves us and longs to lead us with everlasting love. He wants to take us into all the right paths for His name’s sake. If we humbly obey at each moment, we will not quench nor grieve the Spirit. He will lead us perfectly if we follow faithfully.
We must not grieve Him with our bodies.
This was the point of Paul’s admonitions in 1 Corinthians 6. He calls us to forsake any use of our body that is unholy, for we are one with God. Our bodies are the temporary homes in which He abides. This should mean something in how we steward our bodies—the use of our eyes and ears and mouth and hands and feet. If we were aware of His presence, there are places we would not go and things we would not do out of respect for the One who lives within us.
Instead of grieving Him, we should glorify Him with our bodies. Our bodies should be so yielded to His use that people actually see God more clearly, and the Spirit who lives within us. Just as the stars magnify God and communicate His nature, so should our human bodies. We should so cooperate with God that our bodies do not obstruct the view of Him, but are actually a window through which He is seen.
We must thank Him constantly!
If a wise friend decided to walk with you and give you counsel, comfort, and strength every moment of the day, you would give them thanks continually for their kindness. That they loved you so deeply and cared for you so completely would fill you with unceasing gratitude.
Pause and think of this deeply right now. If you are a true believer, the Holy Spirit lives in you! Christ chose to enter the physical womb of a virgin to be born. In like measure, the Holy Spirit has chosen to reside in you until your life is over. Glorify Him with your body. Be humbled, be grateful, and be cooperative with your Divine Guest.
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