August 23 - Ephesians 2:21-22

August 23
Ephesians 2:21-22

Eph 2:21-22 in whom the whole building, being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

We are in blessing #16 out of the nineteen blessings listed in the first three chapters of the Book of Ephesians. God is so good in that He has given us so many wonderful things - because of and through Christ.

When we think of how privileged we are as believers in Christ - corporately and individually, God tells us that we are a habitation - a dwelling place of God in the Spirit here on earth.  Not just a habitation or dwelling place, but our bodies are temples because God Almighty, Creator of the heavens and earth and all that is within it, lives within us through the power of His Holy Spirit. The Church of God's people individually are growing together as a corporate holy temple where the Holy Spirit dwells within the individual hearts of all believers in Christ.

I Cor 6:19 confirms this blessing in that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 6:16  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?  20  For you were bought at a price;
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

This verse also tells us that we no longer are our own - we now belong to God.  The price for our sins has been purchased by Jesus' shed blood on the cross of Calvary so that we can spend eternity with God forever. As a temple for God, what then should be our response back to Him? Very simply put, He is asking that we glorify Him in our body and in our spirit.

1 Peter, chapter 2 expands on that thought in that the Church is a chosen generation by God. He called us out of the darkness of sin into the marvelous light to be God's people - all because of Christ. 

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light  10  who once were not a people but are now the people of God who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Because of Christ, we are God's special people. As God's special people, His blessings keep flowing out to us:

• Believers in Christ are the Church
• The Church is the bride of Christ
• The Church is a royal priesthood
• The Church is a holy nation
• The Church is God special people in this dispensation (period) of time.

How then do we react to such an awesome calling? Out of love and gratitude, He is asking that we proclaim His praises to everyone around.  Let's then use our voices to praise God to a lost world Whom God is calling out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Blessings,