THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – Monday August 21st 2017
Memorise: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1st Corinthians 6:20
Read: 1st Corinthians 3:16-17 (KJV)
3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
MESSAGE:
The response of the Lord Jesus Christ to the question of a Samaritan woman on God’s approval location of acceptable worship, in John 4:20, put an end to the era where God could only be worshipped in specific places. John 4:21& 23 says,
“Jesus
saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship
him.”
Jesus
taught her that the time has come when true worshippers of God are not
required to visit any physical temple or be present in any particular
location in order to worship God acceptably. True worshipper can now
worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
Building on this teaching, Apostle Paul expounded that the dwelling of God is no longer in temples made by human hands (Acts 17:24).
He further revealed that God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, now
dwells in the body of those who have yielded to the Lordship of Jesus
Christ. In 1st Corinthians 6:19 He wrote this:
“What?
Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
If
you are indeed a Christian, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Out of love for you, God gave you a unique body; and He wants you to
reciprocate His love by making good use of it. The question is, are you
conscious of the fact that God’s Holy Spirit dwells in you? Are you
aware that you are not your own, and that you are bought with a price?
Are you aware that you are to glorify God in your body (1st Corinthians 6:20)?
As a child of God, God has taken ownership of your body. You therefore
have no preferences in matters concerning your body. You must commit
your body to God as a living sacrifice and consciously conduct yourself
as the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit. A Christian cannot therefore
make choices about sexual orientation or engage in behaviours on the
basis of personal preference. Without any ambiguity, God has made clear
the purpose of our body; therefore, any notion about freedom of choice
regarding sexuality and sexual acts is essentially incompatible with
God’s word. God also warns that He will destroy those who defile His
temple, which is our body. Take note of this and be wise!
Prayer Point
Father,
please abide in me; make my body Your dwelling place, and give me the
grace to resist any temptation to misuse my body, in Jesus’ Name.
Open
Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the
General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the
largest evangelical Church in the world and also the President of Christ
the Redeemer's Ministries.
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