TOPIC: THE TEMPLE OF GOD – Friday March 23rd 2018
Memorise: 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? 1st Corinthians 6:19
Read: 1st Corinthians 6:12-20 (KJV)
6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
6:19 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?
6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Message:-
From the beginning, God’s plan has always been to have continuous fellowship with mankind. Looking at God’s interactions with Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3, we see that He normally visited them at a certain time of the day to have fellowship with them. However, in the dispensation of the New Testament, because the Almighty has better things in store for us, He has chosen not to visit, but rather to dwell in us. How privilege and blessed we are! The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul expounded on this truth in today’s Bible reading. As a Christian, you need to recognise that your body is the sacred dwelling place of the Almighty. You also need to know that because you have been redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus, you have been purchased by God at a very high price. You therefore do not have any claim over your body anymore, and consequently, you have no right to pervert, misuse or engage your body in anything that is contrary to the will of God.
God expects us to exercise responsible stewardship over our bodies. He expects us to do everything necessary to glorify Him with our bodies and make them suitable for His worship. 1st Corinthians 3:17 says,
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
This is an important statement with very serious implications. A lot of people in the world today, especially youths, view their body as theirs, and so they believe they can do anything they like with it.
They have chosen to tread the path of defiling their bodies, which should be the temple of God, through ungodly lifestyles and association with evil companionship. Obviously, this is the reason why early death is trending upwards in the world today. Those who choose to abuse their bodies with unhealthy food, alcohol, sexual immorality, hard drugs and other dangerous substances usually fall sick and end up dying prematurely. Some develop emotional or psychological problems that eventually lead to instability, loss of sanity, depression and even suicide. Defiling your body has such terrible consequences. You need to trust God on His recommendations for the well-being of our body. Keep your body away from anything that can contaminate or pollute it. Don’t yield to any contrary peer group pressure. Those who keep their bodies pure are directly inviting the presence of God into their lives, and they will receive divine invitation from above. It is a great privilege and honour to embody the presence of the Almighty.
Action Point: Examine the people and things you have been granting access to your body: do they pass God’s purity test?
Open Heaven Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye, The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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