“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy…” (1 Cor 3:16-17)
It is hard to believe, sometimes, how we Christians have to struggle so much with our sense of ‘worth’. We berate and demean ourselves to such a degree that we cause more self- destruction to our nature than any outside enemies words could ever accomplish. We find so little good to say about ourselves?
Yet, God understands this. In the verse above, God through Paul says, “Know ye not?” Paul was a bit astonshed. He was perplexed. Here he was — a man who called himself the chiefest of sinners — surprised that others did not know who or what they really were in God. This same man who admitted that he struggled with ‘Sin’ in his ‘members’ also open declares that if any man were to defile him then God would destroy that man.
Now, to me, that is a real I opener. If I am a temple, then I am a place that people can come to, in order to find God! If I am a temple filled with God, then shouldn’t people come to me with their shoes off; just like Moses in front of the burning bush? If I am truly that sacred of an object, in the sight of God, then shouldn’t I be treated with some amount of respect?
The answer of course — from God’s point of view — is yes. But, alas, Jesus’s words do come ringing back on us too. He said, “if they have hated me they will also hate you”. And He was THE TEMPLE of the most High God. So, knowing that you are a temple may not cause everyone to look at you with good intent, but it should at least get YOU to look at you with respect. Jesus knew who he was no matter what people said.
When was the last time you repeated over and over the following affirmation: “The Spirit of God dwells in me. God dwells in me. I am a temple!” You should try it sometime. The more you say it, the greater your inner heart will be a peace. It will also help you to realize just how close God is to you! He is, indeed, never far away because wherever you go, there HE is.
Consider also this thought: SATAN KNOWS YOU ARE A TEMPLE. He is a trespasser on holy ground whenever he comes to trouble you. You, as the keeper of holy grounds, have the right to evict him from God’s property any time you so desire. Surely, if God is going to destroy any human who mistreats you, then God will gladly judge any fallen angel who dares to touch HIS PROPERTY. Don’t be shy, timid, or reserved when opposing evil spirits. Realize who you are and learn to ‘love yourself’.
Original Copyright: © Anthony J. Massotti, Th.M. 1/142001