Thursday Rhapsody Of Realities - We're God's Habitation Through The Spirit

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 (1 Corinthians 6:19).

In Exodus 25:8, God expressed His desire to dwell in the midst of His people. He said,” ...let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” Notice He didn’t say, “...that I may visit them,” no; not a visit. He said, “...that I may dwell among them.”

Moses implemented God’s instruction. He rallied the children of Israel, to bring all the necessary offerings, and they built a beautiful sanctuary in accordance with the pattern and plan that God gave to Moses. However, that wasn’t good enough. God wanted a new sanctuary and showed David a vision of the new sanctuary; He gave him every detail of what it should be like.

David was excited, and laid down a lot of gold and silver for the building of the temple. Nevertheless, it was Solomon, David’s son, who was approved of God to build the temple, and he built for God a magnificent temple. The Bible says, “Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet” (Acts 7:48).

Then Jesus came on the scene and said, “...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The word translated “Church” means “Assembly or Congregation of the called out ones.” It’s therefore not a physical building, but a living tabernacle of human beings.

Let’s read Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV. It says, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” We’re God’s habitation through the Spirit! His vision to dwell in the midst of His people has been realized in us, the Church.

Each one of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives and walks in us (2 Corinthians 6:16). You’re God’s holy temple (1 Corinthians 3:16); this, the Bible says, is the mystery that was hidden from ages and generations, which has now been made manifest. The mystery is, Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26-27). Hallelujah!

PRAYER: Precious Father, I worship and adore you; thank you for making me your dwelling place. I acknowledge your Spirit living in me, protecting, guiding, and leading me in your perfect will. Thank you for beautifying my life with the glory of your presence, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Corinthians 4:7 - We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
Acts 7:44-49 - “Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses. ⁴⁵ Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David. ⁴⁶ “David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who actually built it. ⁴⁸ However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says, ⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord.
‘Could you build me such a resting place?

2 Corinthians 6:16 - And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Acts 6:1-15, 2 Chronicles 26-28
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18, Isaiah 2