You are the Temple of the Spirit
Do you live by your own power?
Verse of the Day
‘Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?’
Today’s Devotional
When you are driving around town, you see certain buildings and know exactly what they are. Sometimes we can identify the purpose of a structure by a sign. Sometimes the shape of a building tells us its purpose. An elaborate church, for example, is pretty easy to identify.
Can you look at humans and know, without a doubt, what each one’s purpose is?
My hope, as we study our identity, is that we will become so grounded in the truth of what God says about us that people will KNOW that there is something different about each one of us. And because we are different, they will want to know more, and they will then encounter a loving God as we act as His hands and feet.
In order to do that, I need a power greater than any power I have on my own. I need the Holy Spirit. Thankfully, the Spirit has graciously taken up residence inside each one of us who believes in Jesus.
I don’t feel like a temple, but this verse says that I am. A temple is a sacred place where God dwells. God the Spirit has decided that His temple is your body. And mine.
Let’s think about this for a moment. If you had the privilege of visiting the home of someone you greatly admire, wouldn’t that feel really special? For me, there would be an awe of being allowed into the personal space of someone that holds great significance for me. I would never go into this home and be rude. I would treat this home with the utmost of respect because of who lives there.
If you believe this verse when it says, “our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”, then you must also believe that your physical, human body is the sacred dwelling place of God. That leads me to believe that it matters how I treat my physical body. It matters what I tell myself about my physical body. I have the ability to show reverence and gratitude to God by taking care of my body. Simply because God has chosen my body (and yours) to be His home.
The Spirit that lives in each of us, according to Romans 8:11, is powerful. ‘The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.’
Part of our identity is that we are the dwelling place of God. We are His home. We are the instruments of His power and love on this planet. But, if you are anything like me, this is very easy to doubt. We each have within us an incredible gift. The gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. Do we live like we have that kind of power? Do we treat our bodies like temples for our holy God?
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How much do you know about the Holy Spirit?
How can you express your gratitude to the Father for giving you the gift of the Spirit?
What do you need the Spirit’s help with?
How can you partner with the Spirit today?
Do you treat your body and yourself like a sacred dwelling place of God? How could you do better with this?
Additional Article about the Holy Spirit:
7 Things the Bible Teaches About the Holy Spirit