The Israelites in the days of Ezra could not go home. Israel was gone. Judah was no more. But God stirred the heart of the Persian king, Cyrus, to send people back home to start rebuilding the LORD’s temple.
Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the LORD. (Ezra 1:5 NLT)
The Temple of the LORD was extremely important in those days. That’s because the Israelites would go to the Temple to draw near to God. The presence of God dwelled in the Most Holy Place in that temple. But for believers today, we don’t need to travel anywhere to experience the presence of God.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? (1 Corinthians 6:19a ESV)
The LORD’s plan is to bring us back home to God. Jesus provided the way for us to return home, even when we’ve been far, far away. When we come home to the Father through the work of the Son, we receive the Holy Spirit. Our bodies become temples where the Holy Spirit resides in a special way. But God does not stop there.
I am sure that the One who began a good work in you will carry it on until it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns.
(Philippians 1:6 NIrV)
The Holy Spirit then begins a work in us that will continue until we move from this life into the next. While we are here, God continues to build us up through the power of the Holy Spirit. Not only does God build us up individually, but God builds us up together as His Temple.
The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. You also are being built together for God's dwelling in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21-22 HCSB)
How about you? Is your body a Temple of the Holy Spirit of God? Do you allow God to build you up through the power of the Spirit? Do you let the LORD build you up together with others who have God’s Spirit?
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