3 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

2 Samuel 22
John 2

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

John 2:19-21 (CSB): “Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.’ Therefore the Jews said, ‘This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Long before the Apostle Paul wrote that the bodies of Jesus-followers are temples of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), Jesus referred to His own body as a temple.

God dwelt previously among His people in the Old Testament Tabernacle and then the Jerusalem Temple. On many occasions, God’s manifest presence filled the back part of the Tabernacle/Temple called “The Holy of Holies.” So, as people approached that place, they came near to where God was and where He was to be worshipped.

Every person who has trusted in Jesus to make them right in God’s eyes after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) has been immediately endwelt by God’s Spirit (John 14:16-17; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16). So, in a very real way, our bodies literally become a Temple of God. It is where He dwells and where we worship.

So, the big question is: “Since we are the New Testament version of the Old Testament Temple, how does this affect how I see and use my body?”

  • We should see our “worship time” as not merely limited to Sunday’s services but every moment of every day.
  • We should abstain from any form of sin because we are “forcing” God, who is in our Temple, into that situation.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you treat your body as the Temple of the Living God.
  • Ask God’s forgiveness for where you have faltered in treating it this way.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what it means that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)