Your Temple is a House of God

There are two passages in the word of God that have to do with the House of God that at first glance seem contradictory.  One is very familiar. 

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 

Many people think this means we have to eat right, don't smoke, don't drink, exercise, get enough sleep and keep from abusing our carcass in every way.  Those certainly are good ideas.  BUT if you are going to take care of the Temple of the Holy Spirit how should you care for HIM?  He dwells in you.

Then there is a passage from Haggai that seems to speak to these things:

Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? ⁵ Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. ⁶ You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.  Haggai 1:3-6

In this the Prophet is telling people how they are suffering because they aren't taking care of HIS HOUSE.

Now as we consider these things together it is apparent that not keeping up the house causes poor harvest, lousy clothing, hunger, thirst, dissatisfaction, coldness and poverty.

While it is important to have other things in order, more important than all the things we do to keep up the carcass.. there is another part of the house that lies in ruin.

That is what we build the house of God with.  We pay attention to sports, movies, entertainment, pornography, gossip, money, anger and a host of other things.  They are stains on the walls of His House...holes in the carpet, leaks in the roof.  Holy Spirit is dwelling in a ghetto tenement.  

What HE needs for us to build up is peace, joy and long suffering.  There is a list in Galatians.  You know it.  His house should be called a house of Prayer.  His house should be a refuge.  His house should be a place of peace.   Not a den of thieves allowed to squat there. 

When we don't pay attention to the House of God.. disaster happens. We need to get timber in there.  We need to get good shingles.  Those come by nailing down the Word of God, good teaching, fellowship.  Overall we need attendance, loyalty and stewardship to keep up the external house of God and that which is Dwelt in by Holy Spirit.

Let's build up the house.