Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)
I heard this text a lot growing up. And primarily the focus was about taking care of yourself. Your body is the temple of God so you should take care of it. It’s God’s; not yours.
You know, we are called to be good stewards (someone who manages or looks after something) of what we are given. God gives us our bodies so really, we should take care of it.
I agree with all that. But recently, the thought popped into my mind that we sometimes limit this text to physical stewardship. Couldn’t it be so much more? Back in Paul’s day, there were temples on every corner. Temples whose primary purpose was to bring glory to Poseidon, Aphrodite and many others. The temples were beautiful and attractive. As such, people were drawn to them.
What if we looked at ourselves the same way? Are we a place people are drawn to? When people interact with us, do they want to come back? Does the way we behave draw them closer or push them away? Does our character and interactions with people scream “God lives here!”? Do we glorify God with beauty that shines brightly from the inside?
Just something to ponder….how does the light that radiates from your temple represent God? What do people see on the inside?