4.20.2009

Outside and Inside

Lawsuits and sexually immorality.  Are these my only choices today? Ha Ha.  At first, I wasn't gleaning anything out of these verses for myself.  I'm not at "battle" with anyone and considering a law suit and I'm in a committed and pure marriage.  So, God, what would you have me take away from this?  How does this apply to me?  Here was His answer:  Protect your witness and protect your Holy temple.

I don't want to overgeneralize this Chapter at all, but that I can run with.  While Paul's main point is that they are asking people they would trust with no other matter to settles disputes; they are entrusting decisions to unGodly people so they will get unGodly answers.  But I also see that then the unbelievers are seeing these disputes and arguments and witnessing often unGodly thoughts and actions.  Our bottom line in The Alley yesterday was "When you stand for what's right, you show others who God is".  When I apply this life application to these verses, I come away with the notion that in everything I do, I'm either showing others who God is or who I am without God.    Every day we have opportunities to be Jesus with skin on, a walking Bible, or however you want to put it--we have the chance to demonstrate who God is and what He's all about.  And, more importantly, if we are Christians, people are watching to see if our walk matches our talk:  in the movies we watch, with the language we use, in how forgiving we are, with how slow to anger we are, in how we treat others, etc.   

Just as we need to be somewhat aware of what others see in us, we need to be ultra aware of what is in us, the Holy Spirit.  There are certain things we would NEVER consider doing while at church, but once we are away from God's House, the rules seem to change.  The problem is that God's House is us: "19 Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (1 Cor 6:19-20 NLT)  When I look at preteen/teen girls I am sometimes overwhelmed with this truth for them.  If only we could fully grasp at a young age that we are Holy because God is in us.  Oh what different choices we would make and how differently we would view ourselves.  The world tells us we are not good enough and to do whatever makes us feel good in the moment.  God tells us we are beautiful in Him and that through Him peace and contentment will come.  Boy that one took me along time to even realize it existed.  And I still wrestle with a complete understanding of being Holy.  

Is there someone in your life who doesn't see themselves through God's eyes right now?  They can't see that who they are exactly who God created them to be and He made their body a dwelling place for Him?  Maybe that someone is you?  Let God work in and through you today.