April 24, 2024 Housing His Presence
Read: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Housing His Presence
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God,
and God himself is present in you?
No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that.
God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17, The Message
Although I talked with God, we worked on separate building projects. I thought He was busy orchestrating His blueprint of the world while I stayed occupied trying to orchestrate my life as a “good” Christian. Occasionally I invited Him into my fenced construction zone to lend a hand.
But God has a different kind of working relationship in mind for His people.
In early biblical times, the temple’s Holy of Holies housed the presence of God in the Ark of the Covenant. A veil separated the Ark from all but the priest. After Christ drew his last breath on the cross for our sins, God tore the veil from top to bottom. His unholy people no longer needed to live separated from their loving Creator.
Instead, God wanted a relationship so intimate that He intended us to be His temple. He gave us His Holy Spirit to dwell within us; to be with us wherever we are; to work together on His “building projects.” Eugene Peterson describes these in The Message:
First, we’re workers with God. And second, we’re worked upon by God…
At the same time…we’re the builders of the church
and simultaneously the church being built…
We’re constantly in a state of both being the church and becoming the church.
(1 Corinthians 3:9-15, The Message, p. 1335).
Circumstances, internal nudges, and out-of-the-blue impressions or words that pop in my mind are part of God’s presence at work both in and through me, not just beside me, transforming me into the image of His Son while simultaneously transforming the church into the body of Christ. At times, I still miss a message God is trying to give me, and He must repeat Himself. Yet, I rest assured His presence is and always will be with me.
Reflect: How does knowing that you house the presence of God change how you will approach your day?
Prayer: Gracious God, I humbly yield to You as the Master Builder. I open every nook and cranny of my being to the transforming power of Your Holy Spirit and to be used as You purpose me in the building up the body of Christ. Let my whole life reflect Your glory, I pray in the name of Your Son, Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria