Our "Inner" Person
The mid
winter school holidays are here and Trish and I are enjoying a few days in a
sweet little cottage amongst ancient eucalyptus trees with great estuary and
ocean views. The weather is blustery and cold with frequent rain showers. We
are warm enough here and are able to walk between the wet fronts. We brought
our own food so don't have to go out ..
Already
Trish says she feels rested and able to relax. Just lovely! Last term she was
given the permaculture classes to teach at her school; for an enthusiastic and
creative gardener like her this was a great thrill, besides being a challenge
with lots to learn and projects to plan and prepare for her students.
Permaculture
is possibly the most sustainable way for us to live on our planet as it fully
utilises the synchronicity and symbiosis that God built into the Creation and
is inherent in all nature; productivity of the whole managed environment is
much greater than the sum of all the different parts added together.
It is
really good to be thinking about these things now when all of humanity is
pondering our future, and, at the same time, being swamped by the media with
warnings of ongoing Covid-19 problems, future pandemics, crashing economies,
rioting, deteriorating international relationships, terrorism and our
climate.
But no
matter how well we manage our land use and infrastructure, our gardens and food
supply, we need to look at how we are doing all together in our societies. We
all desire that humanity does more than just struggle and survive, but
flourishes and is able to enjoy our world and bless one another.
So we
ponder these inner things as our world is thrown upside down. Perhaps
"upside-down" is too strong to describe these Covid-19 times but I
don't think so. Certainly there are doubts about our future, both in the short
and the long terms.
There is
a sweet Bible teacher who visits our city from time to time. Whatever his topic
he always asks how we all are "on our inside". This is how I
am now thinking; how are the worlds changes affecting me "on the
inside" and my position "in
Jesus" (John 14:20). Is "peace
with me" (John 20:26), am I truly "free
to be free" (Galatians 5:1), can I be certain that "God loves me" (John 16:27)?
Am I
still ok "on the inside"?
The Bible
says that I am God's temple: "Or do
you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you
have from God? You are not your own, for
you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1
Corinthians 6:19-20).
The
thought that I am a structure where God dwells is hard for me to grasp. To
think that God, who is so glorious and so big and so powerful and so busy,
would bother with me is almost shocking. But the Bible makes it perfectly
clear; God is “on the inside” of me. I am God's temple, being enlarged from
what I once was to what He plans for me:
"You also, like living
stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).
What does
it mean that I am God's temple? How will the power and truth of it affect me?
How should I be, in my every-day life
if I am Jesus' temple, His place of worship and honour? If He is there, inside
me? All the time?
How can I
even begin to measure up to what Jesus sees in me?
The Bible
also says that Jesus in me will be visible to others, a tangible, yet spiritual presence; that
"rivers of living water"
will flow out from me (John 7:38). Doesn't this put a great responsibility onto
each one of us?
Here is verse
1 from a new song by Andrew Partington:
"Let
rivers of living water flow through us,
Let rivers of living water flow out from our
deepest hearts,
In the purity of holiness may Your Word be on
our tongues
Through our lives dear Jesus bless, bless
every single one".
When He
was on the earth Jesus great focus was to show the glory of His Father (John
1:14). Now that He is ascended to heaven and rules the entire Cosmos His goal
is unchanged. When He comes to us and welcomes us into His family Jesus gives
us a share in this knowledge of the glory of God! What amazing potential we
Christians have!
"We were therefore buried
with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4).
"And we all, who with
unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his
image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit" (2
Corinthians 3:18).
Keeping Close
A young
and dynamic preacher came from America
I knew
what he was talking about because the same thing happened to me when I was one
of the senior technical people in a billion dollar industrial start-up; we had
to develop 23 computer applications (now called Apps) before the different
elements of the business became operational. Our team succeeded but I burned
out. In my childhood this was called a "nervous breakdown", a much
clearer term. One loses all perspective and the ability to prioritise anything;
it takes months to recover.
This
young preacher was given lots of time off from his work and even loaned a
cottage in the forest where he could go and rest and spend time with Jesus.
His
conclusion, which he had come all the way to Australia
He went
on to describe what he meant; as Christians we are one with God (Colossians
3:3). Learning that we are God's temple is very precious to us because of the
image this paints in our mind, in our worldview. "Short accounts"
means not just staying in touch, much more importantly it means to quickly
resolve the issues, problems, and misunderstandings that will arise as we all
rub along together. Particularly with Father God and even more with Jesus who
is our Mentor
When I
sin or am lazy or disobedient, (also sins), Jesus sees and is hurt. He always
wants only the best for me. When I remember that He sees me as a temple, as His temple, I want to be my very best
for Him, to be clean, upright and obedient!
Also, it
stands to reason that if I am a temple of the King of kings and the Lord of
lords (1 Timothy 6:13-16), that our God sees me as precious and even
honourable. I find this to be inspiring. Oswald Chambers wrote a now famous
book "My Utmost for His Highest". This is how I feel. After all these
years of being Christian, I still want to grow in giving my utmost for Jesus' high and lovely goals for me!
Hallelujah! I am so very grateful!
Favourite Scriptures
"Or do you not know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are
not your own, for you were bought with a
price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
"To them God has chosen to
make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
"But Christ is faithful as
the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our
confidence and the hope in which we glory" (Hebrews 3:6).
Praise
Jesus.
Amen.
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Praise Jesus.
God bless you John, thanks for this piece.
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