VOW: Where does your god dwell?

Verse of the Week:

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV

In ancient times, those who worshipped the pagan gods viewed the idols as places for their gods to dwell. A focal point for their act of worship. They worshipped the pagan spirit that would inhabit the wooden, stone, or metal symbol of the deity.

The words in the verse above were written to the Corinthians, Gentiles, former pagans. The very people who worshipped other gods, other spirits, that they believed inhabited their carved and molten images.

In this verse, Paul reminds them that they themselves are the habitation of the one true living God. And just as they treated their former idols with reverence and respect, they should treat each other and themselves – because we are all temples of God. We are not to worship our bodies, ourselves, or others. If we do, we have created idols of ourselves and/or others. But we are to treat ourselves and our fellow believers as if God were present, because He is. The next verse tells us that if we defile the temple (ourselves) God will destroy us. We should act like the holy temple of God.

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 3:17 KJV

Remember the two greatest commandments – Love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40 NET

What gets the most reverence in your life? Who do you most respect? Where do you spend most of your time? Reading and studying Gods Word, or idling away your time on technology, idolizing performers, killing time watching TV, spending all your free time trying to improve your body? That just might be a god to you. Can you walk away from it?

Yeshua tells us in Matthew 16:24 that in order to be His disciples, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

Live it out this week:

Pray about and think about what it really means that we are the habitation place for the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. When we take that to heart, it should make us want to behave and speak differently, in a manner worthy of the immense holiness of our God and Father.

Practice the words of the old hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Helen Lemmel – Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Prayer:

Abba Father, forgive me for not recognizing Your holy habitation. Reveal to me those things I must stop doing today, and the things You want me to begin changing. Help me to live a life worthy of Your presence. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

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