Extreme Makeover God's Temple Edition
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were brought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV)
“You are a temple of God.”
Pretty much, this statement had become a cliché, hearing it from so many people every now and then; especially when they want to point out that I haven’t been taking care of my health. It might be concerning my diet, sleeping patterns, hygiene, or even the things that I put on my body. Basically, the “temple” they are referring to is the “physical body” or what is seen. But what about other aspects such as speech, thinking, actions, emotions, isn’t it still part of the body?
Now we have a picture of what our body is. It’s not just about the physical appearance, but it also involves our mind, our actions, and our heart.
So what is a temple?
It is a place of worship.
It is a holy place.
It is a sanctuary.
It is a safe haven.
It is a dwelling place.
It is a house.
So if our body is the temple of God. It therefore means that God dwells within us! You probably know that. But really think about. “You are a temple of God.” We know who the temple is, but who is that god that dwells in us? Is God really God in the temple or is He just a visitor because another god is there already?
Now, how do you know who that god is?
People say, that they could tell what kind of person lives in a house by looking inside the house. For example, if a person is fanatic of the colour blue then a lot of his things would be blue; or if that person is a fanatic of Elvis Presley, then there would probably some Elvis Presley merchandises lying in the house. You get the point. In the same, our body works similarly. Who or what do we think of the most? What do we often say or who or what is the usual content of our conversation? Who benefits our actions? What do we often do and why do we do it? For whom are our feelings for? If you think about it, and then look at common denominator- Who or what is it? So if you often think, often do things for, speak often about, that person or thing, then that means that that thing or person governs you.
So is God still the owner of the temple, or is it someone else’s, or is it just yours?
Well, there is this show called, “Extreme makeover home edition.”
Basically, what the people in this show do is that they transform a house based on the owner’s preference. The text says, “You are a temple of God” it doesn’t say, “You are your own temple.” Therefore, it should be God’s preferences that are evident in us. We should be reflecting God, not the world, not even ourselves.
