Verse
You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred — and you, remember, are the temple.
Thought
What often gets lost in this passage is that the you is plural — ya'll in Texas speak. The congregation, the local church, is the temple of God. God lives in us and among us. So when damage is done to the local church because of bickering or division or splits, God takes these sins seriously and will deal with these sins strongly. The image that "The Message" uses is vandalizing. When we create problems in the local church, we are vandalizing something precious to God, the place he lives and makes his home! God lives in us personally (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and in us as a church (1 Cor. 3:16-17) through the Holy Spirit. We are holy and precious and sacred to God and he wants us to treat each other as something holy and precious and sacred.
Prayer
O God and Father, forgive me for not regarding your church with more reverence and appreciation. I know that we are flawed because of our sinfulness and weakness, but I also know that you live in and among us. Use me to help others see your church as something holy and precious and sacred. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
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