You Are God’s Temple
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” — 1 Corinthians 3:16
We have more God in us than we realize.
The moment we come into God’s kingdom through saving salvation in Christ Jesus, we have an open invitation to the fullness of God’s spirit, the riches of his kingdom, and the wisdom that he delights to give us. If you have put your faith in Jesus, then you are living with a free ticket to God's glory, freedom, and power.
If you’re like me, you are much more easily focused on the state of your mind, emotions, and energy than on the things of the spirit. The ability to discern things of the spirit is less straightforward for some reason; it’s not like stubbing your toe, having an idea, or getting your feelings hurt. I don’t think this is because we are less capable of being spiritually aware, but I find that the signals of the mind, heart, and body are a bit more intrusive.
Our spiritual reality is no less actual than our physical, mental, or emotional one. I Corinthians 3:16 reminds us that the Spirit of God is not some outer place we must go to and try to grasp. The Spirit dwells within us. Our bodies are not just infrequent hosts of God’s presence. We are temples—distinctively holy dwelling places for the divine.
The life of abiding impacts every part of our being, but the power of God uniquely rests in the body of the believer on this side of heaven. Think about that for a moment. It’s in the body of the redeemed believer that God chooses to dwell by his Spirit. God displays his glory through our coming and going, the words we speak and write, the actions of peace we take, and the way we care for and love others.
You’re not just given access to God occasionally. God isn’t just potentially going to meet with you if you do all the right religious things. His design is that you would be a non-stop host of heaven.
You’re a temple of God.
God, I want to pause and recognize that I am closer to you than I realize. You are closer to me than I have always been aware of, and I confess my tendency to shut you out and ignore the power of your presence within me. Give me a new vision today of what it looks like to live a life in the spirit. Amen.
