Memory Verse

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20
19Do 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; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

The word “temple” in the NKJV is mentioned 376 times and in the NIV it is translated 683 times. What do you think of when we read that our “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” Taking you body for granted is like taking your husband for granted. Pretty soon it will rebel on you. Our bodies are a precious resource given to us by God. Since this is the place he chose for the Holy Spirit to reside, it must be important. In 1 Corinthians it tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your heart is the soul of the Sprit and your mind bears the evidence of the Holy Spirit as He guides your words and actions as well as being our intercessor during prayers.

The heart and mind must be filled with the Spirit to be used effectively in the fight against our enemy, Satan. What you put in your mind will manifest itself in your heart and actions. I have heard it said by many that what we are reading today is what we will become 10 years from now. Also the saying “you are what you eat,” reminds us of what goes into our body (mind included) will come out! So we are charged with taking care of God’s temple so we will be pleasing to him. Think about what we do with God’s Temple – are we building a temple of both physical and spiritual beauty? 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

God always wants us to happy and healthy (spiritually and physically.) Treat the dwelling place of God with respect. Feed Him the best (God’s words) Treat Him the best (doing God’s good works! Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.) and help establish Him in the world (share God with others. Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.) We are always looking for “shortcuts’ to great nutrition to take care of our bodies physically. The ads abound – flatter abs in 5 easy steps… the cereal with the most vitamins and minerals…. Have you ever consider the “shortcuts” we use when feeding the Holy Spirit. Frequently we skip meals (services) withholding vital nutrients (fellowshipping with other Christians) we fail to take our daily supplements of reading God’s word and hoping that there will be ONE little pill to take for all the ailments! If Jesus were with us in His physical body right now, and spent the entire day with you, how would His presence affect where you go? What you do? What you say? What you eat?

When Solomon built the Temple, he made it a beautiful place filled with gold and precious materials. 1 Kings 6:14-22 So Solomon built the temple and completed it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of pine. 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits [1] at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits [2] long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.
19 He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. [3] He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. 21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary. He wanted the world to see its beauty and know that God filled it with His presence. When God created man and woman, (GN 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. He made the body a dwelling place for His Spirit for those who invite Him in. He wants the entire world to see our beauty and know that His Holy Spirit lives in us.

The memory verse (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) this week gives specific instruction about honoring God with our body. Jesus paid a great price to see that your sins would be forgiven, and you would have eternal life. In return God wants you to honor Him in all that you say and do. Each time you use this verse, or any other, you plant it more firmly in your mind and heart. It will be there to help you resist the temptations that come. God will always provide the way out of the temptations. 2 Peter 2:8(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- 9then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.

As we consider how precious we are to God let’s look at the following verses!
Scripture I know I am valuable because….
Romans 5:10 10For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Romans 8:32 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Galatians 1:3-4 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 2:5-7 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle--I am speaking the truth in Christ[1] and not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Titus 2:14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Hebrews 7:27 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 9:28 27And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
1 John 2:2 2And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Galatians 2:20 20I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.