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Tuesday 28 March 2017

"Spirit within... Glorify God"

"I pray for the desire to pray and meditate on behalf of my community of faith.  May we learn patience, tolerance, gentleness, compassion and empathy.  May we abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement and shame. May we know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly."


1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.


1) "...a temple of the Holy Spirit;" "...you are not your own;" "...glorify God in your body."


2) Nope.  We do not know this.  It's something we talk about, maybe.  But I expect very few of us actually trust, believe, acknowledge that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.  And of course, which "body" is Paul speaking of at this moment?  Is he talking about "the body of Christ" which is the church?  Or is he speaking of our bodies of flesh?  Usually, when he talks about "flesh" he is talking metaphorically about the world under the rule of sin and darkness, not our physical bodies at all.  That's the problem of using metaphor on top of metaphor.  Certainly, the Body of Christ is a temple of the Holy Spirit and we should glorify God in that body.  But I think Paul is also wanting us to understand the reality of the gift God has given.  We have been bought out of whatever bondage held us.  And that is a physical reality.  Do we glorify God in our bodies?  Just this morning I'm thinking how much I need and want some exercise.  It's been months since I've gone for a run because the weather has been so miserable.  And now I'm anxious about having time to exercise and take the time for prayer and meditate daily.  At least I'm sitting outside to journal, pray and meditate these days.


3) What is the invitation in all this?  To respect the needs of my body a little more.  To be more intentional about what I put into it, and what I expect out of it.  To get some exercise.  To consider how I treat all the members of the Body of Christ.


"Holy One, let me glorify you with my breath, with my words, with my actions."


Breathprayer: "Spirit within... Glorify God."

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