"...your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

It is one of those things which often gets by me, it is the question that Paul puts out there “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?...”  It is so easy to forget (not be aware) that God’s spirit resides there within my body.  Like when I woke up this morning I had to begin a process of recounting the mercies and blessings of God because my natural mind is dead-set against listening to the spirit, in fact, if I had gone the natural way which is only responding to my bodily needs I would have forgotten about the Lord altogether this morning. It is when I make a conscious effort of calling upon the Lord, that I remind myself that the spirit resides within me and that He has good intentions for me.

It is shocking to me that I can be so oblivious at times, even though the spirit resides within me.  Paul makes it a point to ‘recount’ or ‘remember’ these things, not that he hasn’t already told us in so many different ways throughout the epistles already, we have a tendency to forget or (misplace) what is in our short term memory instead of just remembering that we are a temple in which the Holy Spirit resides. 

The Holy Spirit is patient with us because we are imperfect, we do forget, and it takes our own personal discipline to remember who we are.  This is why Paul tells us to ‘put on Christ…” it is deliberate, we must put on Christ every morning.

“Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ as if he were your clothing. Don’t think about how to satisfy sinful desires.”  Romans 13:14 (NIRV)

Here lies the awesome part, the God of this universe gave us the Holy Spirit as a down payment for what is coming, which is the total fulfillment of the promise that we will exchange these mortal bodies for something which is perfect, something which will reflect the very nature of God Himself and become immortal as God is immortal.

When that happens there will be no more waking up and trying to remember about God and what He has done for us, when this exchange happens (exchanging this mortality for something immortal) It will be like putting on a new suit or new dress which is specifically designed for us which will be our new identity.  Like Joseph putting on His coat of many colors which was designed for him from the beginning and it was created from the favor of His father Jacob.  We will put on Christ which is from the favor or our heavenly Father for us.  The many colors represent the Holy Spirit (or facets) of God.  (I will go into this in further at another time)

We were bought with a price which is the sacrifice Jesus paid for us on the cross, but even more than that is we have an eternal inheritance which was ours from the very beginning in the garden of Eden, God placed within mankind an image or reflection of the Godhead which only comes to full fruition through Christ Jesus.

We do not belong to ourselves, we are the purchase of God.  That was something that I was never taught when I first became a Christian.  I was only told that I could "come to Jesus to be saved from Hell", not that I was selling myself into lifetime servanthood to the King of Glory.  

With this transaction in mind, I again reflect upon Joseph and him being sold into servanthood, even in the house of Potiphar. Joseph had favor and God blessed him.  The Egyptian name ‘Potiphar’ is analogous to the western name ‘Theodore or Nathaniel’ which means “God's gift” or “God has given”.  So even with Joseph being in the house of Potiphar as a servant he had a calling and a divine purpose. Names do have meaning.

Jesus and Joseph were both bought with a price just like we are, but that price isn't about the money given for betrayal, but more about the sacrificial gift of the life that was given away that we could be saved from the ravishes of death.  

In the story of Joseph, it is about Egypt which represents bondage, and the famine and death which accompanies that bondage.  It is an antitype of the soul. Joseph became a sustainer of life for all of Egypt and the surrounding countries.

Jesus was much more direct in bringing this point home. Jesus’ death and life has now become our sacrificial life to save us from the ravishes of sin and death. If we receive Him and ascribe His death to our account with God, Jesus becomes our sacrifice, and we become alive forever through Him, He has become our savior, our sustainer of life.

A living example of what it means being bought with a price is posted in the right sidebar of this blog in a video entitled "COME by Paris Reidhead" or click here, check it out.

There is so much to say but there is only limited space and time, suffice it to say that as you recall the mercies and blessings of God which are new for you today, may you be filled with an increased awareness of His presence, the Holy Spirit has been freely given to you and speaks to you about God's love and mercy and always connects you to Jesus.  

But remember, this isn't all there is, the Holy Spirit is a down payment or deposit, there is much more to come in our relationship with Jesus.

 “…because you know that the time has come for you to wake up from your sleep. For the moment when we will be saved is closer now than it was when we first believed. The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark, and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light.” Romans 13:11-12 (GNT)

Be Blessed;

Stephen Barnett