JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the search for meaningful worship.
In Psalm 27:4, David wrote, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”
The temple was known as a place for worship. That is what gave David great delight-dwelling in the house of God and seeing Him in His glory. Churches today are known as houses of worship, but we don’t have to go to church to worship God. We can honor Him right where we are, because the body of the believer is identified as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Focusing on God’s glory and grace gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
Today’s Person of Integrity from the Bible is Haggai.
He was a prophet of God in the Old Testament who encouraged the Jews to rebuild the temple.
His words were inspired by God and are recorded in the book of Haggai. “Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored.”
Haggai assured the people that God was with them. The Bible says that “the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.”
Ezra 6:14 says that the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet….They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel.
The faithfulness of Haggai to encourage the Jews to complete the building of the temple inspires us to be a voice of encouragement to build God’s church and to live a life of Integrity.
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “What does it mean for our bodies to be temples of the Holy Spirit?”
This reference is found in First Corinthians 6:19, which says, “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; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
A temple is a place of worship, so in reality, when we become followers of Jesus, our bodies become sacred houses of worship. How then, can we honor God with our body?
This passage specifically is referring to fleeing immoral conduct. It can also refer to how we use the various parts of our body to honor God. With our eyes, we fix our faith on Jesus. With our ears, we listen attentively to His word. With our heart, we desire to love Jesus and know Him better with every passing day. With our mind, we set our thoughts on things above, not on earthly things. With our hands, we serve in Jesus’ name. With our feet, we go to where He sends us to share His gospel.
These are some of the ways we can honor God with our body in the Year of Exploration.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – On the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, He spent some time in Jerusalem. He entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.’”
The temple was designed to be a place of worship, but by the time Jesus stepped onto the scene, it became a place where some people took advantage of others financially. Jesus took action to cleanse the temple to rid the temple area of this practice. Jesus had zeal for God’s house to be a place of pure devotion and worship.
This scene becomes more personal when we realize what the Bible says about the body of the believer. First Corinthians 6:19 tells us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Where there is corruption within, Jesus will take action to cleanse the temple, so that our bodies will be houses of worship, purely devoted to Christ.
The cleansing of the temple is a lesson of faith worth remembering.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
