House guests and a heart Guest . . .

When my mother and father moved into our home, everything changed. Our meals, bedtime, places we went, how long we were gone, our activities and our conversations. Mom and Dad were easy to get along with and not demanding so it was a good year even though it changed our lives in every way.

We also had several young women live in our home at various times and one grandson. These also made an impact on us. One was a university student, another a nurse. One was a granddaughter and she was with us the longest. Her presence resulted in the greatest changes.

When I read the Scripture for today, I had to say: “Now think of the change that happened when God moved in!” This is how John describes those changes when I was “born of God.”

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:1–5)

The biggest change is that He brings His love into human hearts and that love changes everything . . . “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

I vividly remember sitting on the front step of my farm home in the fall sunshine and realizing that I now loved people. To me, that was a marvel. I’d never felt that way, never cared about anyone else but me. But Jesus walked into my life. He changed everything and is still doing it.

The above verses talk about love but also a change of who is boss. God’s love is equal to obeying God. Whenever He asks anything of me involving others, whatever it is will be a display of His love. As John says, this is not a heavy task, just very different to the way I had always lived. All my decisions and actions were about pleasing me. I knew that for the most part, I didn’t even like people much less love them. I was deeply critical, sometimes envious, but mostly looked down on everyone. Such arrogance.

This arrogance is also what Christians call worldliness, loving the world or putting myself, my comfort, and the things that are in the world ahead of the needs of others. It is that ‘I want what I want when I want it’ selfishness that motivates most of the world. The love of God is like a blast of fresh air. It blows away that way of thinking. Oh, it tries to come back and sometimes succeeds, but I cannot claim that I am helpless against it. God clearly says that faith overcomes this attitude; believing in Jesus Christ overcomes this attitude, not because I do it but because He moves in — and His presence changes everything!

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Lord Jesus, this is true. It was true back then on my front step and is true now as I live in a different place and know many more people. You change lives. You are amazing. When I trust You, I live in such a way that I can keep Your commands and overcome that worldly selfishness. Oh, I’ve not perfected this and know that I’ll fight selfishness until the day I see You face to face, yet I’m so thankful for the way Your presence changes everything. Thank You for being here and making sure that I am an overcomer.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- faith that overcomes the world.

- God’s faithful presence — He changes everything.

- a long conversation with our oldest son.

- a shorter one, but dear to me also, with my sister.

- smell of homemade cinnamon buns.

- purging an overdue closet.

Building or a body? Or both?

The church is not a building. For some, this might be a shocking statement. Most Christians use the term to speak of the place where they worship God, but the Bible does not use church that way. Instead, the New Testament dubs the people of God who believe in Jesus Christ as the church.

This confusion about it being the building may have originated in the history of the temple, a building in Jerusalem in which the religious life of the Jews was centered. In the time of Christ, it was called Herod’s Temple. As the temples before it, this building was a symbol of religious hope. People from near and far came to worship, offer sacrifices, and observe the religious festivals of Judaism.

My Bible dictionary identifies “temple” as a building or place where God is to be worshipped. The NT speaks of a building called a temple, but also calls Christian believers God’s temple.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16–17)

Before that designation was given to the Body of Christ, it was about the building. It’s function as a place of worship was marred by the activity of money-changers. They were supposed to help people buy appropriate sacrifices but had moved from outside into the building. Jesus “entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” (Luke 19:45–46) He made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. (John 2:15)

Jesus knew that the building was temporary. As His disciples spoke of its beauty, He said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Luke 21:5–6) The temple building would be destroyed, but not the temple that was replacing it.

At first, He transferred the designation of temple to His own physical body. He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19–22)

As Jesus was crucified, the temple was changed. It had contained a curtain to separate the people from the holy place of God, but on that day, “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” (Luke 23:44–45)

This signified that the holiest of holy places was now open to everyone. But that was just the beginning of God’s change in the designation of ‘temple’ — He had something more to teach His people. Paul’s words indicate that they may have already known this amazing truth . . .

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

His reasoning was based on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and words from the Old Testament . . .

. . . For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

This is incredible — His Body and our bodies are a temple of the Lord. God is not only near — He lives in His people. He is our God who dwells in us, Emmanuel.

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Lord Jesus, we so easily speak of ‘going to church’ yet the truth is that we ‘go to worship together as Your church body in a building we call a church.’ Yet if church buildings did not exist, the church would still be a reality. Wherever we are, You are here with us. You fill us with confidence in prayer, confidence to face challenges, confidence in all things. You are as close as You can be, giving Your Body all we need no matter what happens.

A super-sized challenge . . .

God uses metaphors to describe spiritual realities that are not visible. A metaphor is a figure of speech that says something is something else. For instance, the church is the body of Christ of which He is the head. This gives readers a picture of how the people of God are an extension of the Son and under His leadership.

Besides the human body as metaphor, God uses architectural terms to describe how He builds the church. In this case, He wants readers to have a picture of the fact that He lives inside His people. Ephesians 2:19-22 is a good example:

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

In the last part of this passage, the word “dwelling” connotes a permanent home. That is, God the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in His sanctuary on earth, the church. Since this is true, Scripture continual exhorts us to act like it. God lives in us and His presence makes a difference in everything that we do.

While most of the time the word “you” is plural, it is also true that this metaphor applies to individual believers. We put our faith in Christ on our own, not in groups. Therefore, each believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit. That means that by His Spirit God lives in me.

This makes a difference in how I live, or it certainly ought to. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

I’m to be careful not to defile my body; it is a place where the Holy Spirit lives. I’m to be careful not to defile my eyes by greedily looking after things, nor my ears by listening to worldly and carnal conversation, nor my lips by speaking guile, or indulging in silly or foolish speech, nor my hands by using them for anything that is evil, nor my feet by going places and doing things that are vain and useless.

A few weeks ago I decided that this also means that I need to watch what I stuff into the mouth of this temple. Does my eating honor and glorify the One who lives in me? Remembering who lives in me is easy when it comes to turning off an X-rated television show, or saying no to activities that belong to darkness and folly, but remembering Him when I open the refrigerator door or have a snack attack is much more difficult.

Sadly, many Christians seem to think their eating habits have nothing to do with serving God, but 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 has this to say: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Paul knew that if he let his body run his life, he was in danger of ruining his ministry. This issue can include many things, but certainly covers overeating. It is mostly about who is in control. When it is me, I indulge; when it is God, He goes for moderation. The One who lives in me wants me to be healthy, physically and spiritually. My part is to discipline my body so that He rules me totally, body, soul and spirit.

Today’s world has most restaurants overfilling each plate and super-sizing each order. Eating at home means doing the opposite. While it sounds easy, for me self-discipline and moderation are super-sized challenges!