1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit
Reflection: Sanctuary, Part 1
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
This Sunday at the 9:00 AM service, the prayer response song was “Sanctuary” (a.k.a. “Lord, Prepare Me”). Do you remember that chorus? The lyric goes something like this: “Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy. Tried and true! With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.” I will spare her name, but a dear lady at our church recommended we do that song, as she knew it would be relevant to another part of the service. I am glad she recommended it, as I have been humming it for a few hours now!
The Apostle Paul reminds us of this idea that we are sanctuaries (or in his words, our bodies are the “temple” of God). For one thing, God’s Spirit dwells in us. He “indwells” us. In the Old Testament (I trust you might know this…) the Holy Spirit did NOT indwell believers. In fact, in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit could leave the Old Testament saints. It was for this reason that the Psalmist prays on several occasions, “do not forsake me” as he addresses the Spirit of God. For us, however, in the age of the church, and after Christ, we are promised the Spirit of God by Christ himself. And this Spirit is promised to indwell us. In the Old Testament, the Spirit may “rest” on His people. But not so for us! He is in us and that makes us a Temple and Sanctuary of God! What a privilege… and a responsibility!
Prayer
Father in Heaven, we thank you for giving us Your Spirit to reside in us and dwell in us. In this way you will never leave us! May we live in a way that is consistent with the dwelling place of God!