1 Peter 2:5

Do you not know that you are the temple of God
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 HCSB

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Ouch! This verse steps all over my toes. Especially right now. We just made a rush trip to Texas this weekend to visit an old friend who is in the end stages of liver failure. It was emotional and stressful. We also spent time with other friends that we haven’t seen in ages. Not to mention all the yummy foods available in Texas that we can’t get here in Colorado. (Can you say Tex-Mex heaven?) I overindulged repeatedly…justifying my actions because it would be a loooong time before I could have such goodies again. The NLT version asks, “Do you not realize…”? The AMP version questions, “Do you not discern and understand…”? Did I even think about being a living sanctuary—God’s temple? Not really.

For we are the sanctuary of the living God…
2 Corinthians 6:16

And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple.
What’s more, you are His holy priests.
1 Peter 2:5 NLT

As I read this verse, I thought about what a temple or sanctuary actually is….

Wikipedia defines a temple as “a temple (from the Latin word templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur.”
Dictionary.com defines a temple as “any place or object in which God dwells.”
Dictionary.com and Wikipedia both state a sanctuary is “a sacred or holy place.”

So, I am a ‘sacred precinct’, a ‘holy place’ where God dwells. Am I taking care of it properly?

Rick Warren puts it like this: “When you don’t take care of your body, you are vandalizing God’s temple.” That is a very scary thought because I sure haven’t been treating my body as I would something sacred and holy!

And I “know” all this. Why do I find it so hard to put this knowledge into action? God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in me! But there are times you would never know it by my behavior. James 4:4 HCSB asks

“Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?
So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.”

Yet I still can’t seem to do what I know is right!

Romans 7:21 NLT describes this perfectly: “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.” The struggle is constant and real. It is a battle I cannot win alone. It would be very easy to feel hopeless and give up. Thankfully, Psalm 73:26 NASB whispers to me: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

These verses remind me I do not have to do it alone:

The Lord hears His people <me> when they <I> call to Him for help.
He rescues them <me> from all their <my> troubles.
Psalm 34:17 NLT

God is our <my> Refuge and Strength; always ready to help in times of trouble.
Psalm 46:1 NLT

For You have rescued me from my troubles
and helped me to triumph over my enemies.
Psalm 54:7 NLT

God will give me victory over my fleshly desires if I call out to Him. He is always there…waiting to help…if I am willing to give control to Him.

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Father, gently remind me that Your Spirit dwells permanently in me. Let my actions reflect that I am a sacred and holy place. Taking care of Your temple, Your sanctuary is in itself an act of worship and gratitude. Thank You for being there…a proven help when I struggle. I am so thankful Your mercies are new each day and that I do not have to do this on my own. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen – It is so!

Proclaim Allegiance to His Name

November 25, 2014 by Clella Fox

Through Him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of lips which confess His name.
Hebrews 13:15

The New Living Translation says it this way:

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to His Name.

The phase “proclaiming our allegiance to His Name” popped out at me. It sounded so different than the other translations that refer to “the fruit of lips that confess His Name.” I just had to do a little research to understand what this verse is really saying.

To “confess” God’s Name is to declare, state, acknowledge His Name

To “proclaim allegiance” is to announce publicly, or to declare something one considers important with due emphasis, which in this case would be one’s loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior

What sacrifice do I/we offer to God for the sacrifice He made for us by giving His Only Son, Jesus?

What sacrifice do I/we offer to Jesus for Him sacrificing His very lifeblood to cleanse us of our sins?

I thought about missionaries on a foreign field who have sacrificed their house, their car, their homeland, and perhaps even their safety, to proclaim their allegiance to God and to share the Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice. Truly in God’s eyes, that is a continual sacrifice of praise to Him.

I also thought about the pastor of a little struggling country church. He has confessed, proclaimed allegiance to God by faithfully serving for years with little or no salary, so that others would hear of Jesus’ sacrifice for them. Yes, that, too, is a continual sacrifice of praise to God. 1 Peter 2:5 (AMP) says,

[Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house,
for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices
[that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.

God is calling each of us through Jesus Christ to sacrifice ourselves, to be dedicated and consecrated, to the position (priesthood) of pleasing God with our proclamation of allegiance. We don’t have to be a missionary or a country pastor to please God. What pleases God is our private and our public continual sacrifice of praise and declaration of Him and His salvation through Jesus Christ.

Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer You our praises.
Hosea 14:2

Our sacrifices are to be in the manner of adoration, worship, prayer, thanksgiving, allegiance, confession, and dedication. God is great and greatly to be praised. Our genuine praise will have no end.

Great is the LORD!
He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure His greatness.
Psalm 145:3

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Dear Lord God, we come to You today with our sacrifices of praise on our lips. You are worthy beyond words to receive all of our praise, and not just those of thanksgiving but also those of public confession and allegiance. Holy Spirit, please help us to be strong and brave as we express publicly our thankfulness and our allegiance to God. May our sacrifice of praise show others the way to You through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ Name we ask these things, Amen.

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