All in Temple
Sometimes we are tempted in places that should be safe. Jesus was tempted in His safe place, on the pinnacle of the temple, the house of God, and we can be tempted in our churches as well. Have you ever had a squabble on Sunday morning with someone at church, and found that you couldn’t sleep at all that night... or did you go home smug in the fact that you had really told that so and so a thing or two?
Who have you prayed for today? Have you left your prayer closet after having prayed in the spirit for your personal needs, the needs of your family, and maybe a close friend or two? Well if so, that was a good start, but it is only the beginning of our daily prayers. In fact, we should consciously pray for all the saints, and all day long in every circumstance, for every soul in need, and as our conscious prayers fade, we should recognize our unconscious prayers as well.
We as Christians talk readily about our bodies being a living temple, and we quote certain scripture to make that point, but if our body is our temple then where is our altar, and what is our sacrifice? The temple is where we meet God, the altar is what makes our sacrifice Holy, and the sacrifice itself must be pleasing and received by God. Are you a temple? Do you contain an altar, and what is your sacrifice?
Are you enjoying being in the temple of God today? Are the floors sparkling clean, the windows washed, and the altar shiny and bright? Are all the candles lit, and the scent of incense fresh and pleasing? Can you hear chanting, and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit there with you? Well, it sounds like I am talking about a building, but in reality I am alluding to your own body.
Are you a wanderer in Christ? Did you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, go down in the waters and spirit of baptism and then walk off into a spiritual desert? Well it is time to come back from where you have been and rejoin the house, and the kingdom, of God. Like our savior, we are not meant to remain alone in the desert... are your 40 days up?
Do you have your body under control? Have you let yourself separate your spirituality of nature from the physical manifestation of that faith within your body itself? By this I am not asking if you treat yourself as a narcissist, but do you do those things that are godly and good with yourself, and treat your body as a temple of God? Our spiritual and physical beings walk hand in hand in our faith, and in our bodies we find the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.