I didn't exactly share this during BS today because I haven't gathered my thoughts about it. But when we watched the video on how much God loved men, so that He dwelt amongst them I was very touched.
God in the heavens approached Abraham, and later brought the people of Israel out of Egypt in the form of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. He then dwelt among the people in the Ark of the Covenant - not just a part of Him, but the whole of Him. When the Israelites settled down, God dwelt in the temple King Solomon built and the temple was filled with His glory.
When the temple was destroyed by the Assyrians, God dwelt amongst men centuries later, in the physical form of Jesus Christ. Then when Jesus died and was resurrected, God dwelt in His children in the form of the Holy Spirit.
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; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
At first I thought it was really un-thought of for God to dwell in the Ark. After all it was just kind of a box, even though it was a box made of gold. And what was Solomon's fine temple to Him? Merely a destructible human structure. And Jesus coming down to dusty, dry, Israel, living a normal life without any comfort.
But finally what struck me the most was God choose to dwell in us now, in our bodies as a temple. Which is hardest to dwell in - the golden ark, the temple, the land of Israel - or a body of a man? I think that body is the hardest place. The body which is the unredeemed part of ourselves, which often is a launchpad to sin. The body which is a Christian's continuous source of struggle to live a holy life.
And God did not despise our bodies, but rather cherished our redeemed souls to reside in it.
Today during lab training I made a number of mistakes. I felt really bad, because I felt that I did not do justice to the effort my trainer put in to teach us. I wanted to do well, just to please him, for he had really been a good teacher.
Yet God has done so much more for me, but I sometimes do not desire to please Him as much. I like how Simon put it last week (I wasn't present for BS but Jon took notes). He said we should confess our sins daily, aloud. So that we become disgusted with our sins, and identify with God's contempt for sin. Only then we would strive to be holy. To be like God - to honor Him through our bodies. God should not be staying in a defiled temple.
I pray that my body would be a clean and holy dwelling place for Him. It takes effort to clean up. But when we know who we're doing it for - and what He has already done for us, it is a pressing and necessary deed.
