The Temple
Nehemiah 10: 39
Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.
This Old Testament passage is about the commitment of the people to make sure the house of the Lord was well supplied and taken care of, and that is a good message in itself. However, today when the Lord showed it to me, I saw something completely different in it.
With the resurrection of Jesus, we have become the temple of God. No longer does God have His presence in the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy of Holies, or, if you prefer, you might say, we have become the Holy of Holies. Yahweh, our God, has come and made His abode with us.
Therefore, when we read this scripture with New Testament eyes we hear “Do not neglect your body for it is the temple of God.” With this being the beginning of a new year, I imagine many of us are making new commitments regarding our bodies. Perhaps you have resolved that you are going to eat better or exercise more. Maybe you have decided that this is the year that you will finally lose that extra weight. Well, let me add this to your New Year’s thoughts. You are well worth the time and effort. You are the temple of God, and you are going to need your health and your well-being so that you can carry out the plans that God has for you this year.
Everyone is busy. That goes without saying. Still, I have noticed that some people manage to get in their workouts and take the time to eat well. Frankly, I find that eating is a nuisance and takes up way too much time. Yet it really is important that we nourish our bodies. It is also important to get exercise. Sometimes it seems to come down to a matter of priorities.
I have found in my own life that I have let my workout move to a back burner when there are other demands on my time. What is happening there? I am making a judgment that my workout is not as important as all the other things that need to be done. At some level we must ask ourselves if there is some level of self-love and self-worth that is missing here. Are the things that are important to us pushed to the back burner when others make demands of us? Do we re-arrange our schedules and what is important to us so that we can accommodate other peoples’ needs and demands? If so, have we done this in unhealthy ways?
We are to be others centered. We are supposed to put the needs and wants of others ahead of our own, but balance is always a key element. We must not constantly allow the demands others make on our time to outweigh the things that we have determined are important. This becomes an even louder statement when we let things get in the way of what God has told us to do. In this we create a real problem that will have long reaching ramifications. This even includes taking care of yourself because God is telling you today to care for His temple.
I want you to love yourself enough to do the things that you need to do for you. I am not talking about feeding your flesh and being selfish. I am encouraging you to take care of you. Nor do I say that you should be self-seeking and make everything that you want and want to do the most important thing. Of course, you should be considerate of other people and how you can blend your schedule with theirs. Some people are too self-important, thinking that everyone should bend around their schedules and what they want to do. That is just immature and selfish. But, for those of you who are constantly sacrificing yourself and what is good for you, it is time you let this scripture speak to you.
God thinks that you are worth the time to do those things which are good for you. He wants you to take care of you. Think of a good mother and how she takes care of her children. She makes certain that they get proper nutrition and rest. She ministers to the needs of their bodies and minds and spirits. That is what God wants you to do for yourself. He wants you to love yourself in a caring way.
We need to take care of our bodies. We need to eat properly and exercise. We all know that. Furthermore, God is requiring us to take care of this temple that He has made. What keeps us from doing the things that will help our bodies? If it is because we don’t value ourselves enough or don’t prioritize the care of our bodies, let us rectify that today.
Is the temple more than the body? Is your spirit, soul and mind part of God’s habitation space? This is to say, do not neglect all the parts of who you are. Just as God is three in one, so are you. You live in a body but the body isn’t you by itself. Look to your mental well being. Minister to your spirit. Maybe what you need is a cup of tea and a book. I wish to encourage you to care for yourself in whatever ways are meaningful to your overall wellness.
Really, for those of you that this really speaks to, get alone with God and let Him minister to you. Ask Him why you have stumbled in this area? Be really honest with Him and let Him breakthrough any of the obstacles that have hindered you in the past.
Understand that you, yes you, are very important to Him and that he wants to see you healthy and whole. There is not one who is insignificant in the Kingdom of God. There is not one of you who God is not watching with loving eyes. Even if you feel like the smallest, most insignificant person on the planet, you need to understand that God loves you with an intensity that is unparalleled. He cares about you and He wants to see you cared for.
