Bloom: Fresh Devotionals For GirlsSample

The Temple

How do you view yourself? Today’s scripture reading gives us a standard of how we are to view ourselves and treat our earthly dwellings, our bodies.

It says our bodies are temples or living spaces of the Holy Spirit. This is representative of the temple in the Old Testament, the place where God’s people were able to connect with Him. God’s presence dwelled in the inner most part of the temple. And that innermost place was a very special place indeed.

Only the High Priest could enter into that inner place at certain times of the year, and only after he had met certain standards. 

The priests and the rest of the Jews who came into the outer part of the temple also treated it with the upmost respect. They didn’t draw graffiti on the walls, ride hoverboards in the courtyard, or drip ice cream on the rug. They knew it was the living space of God and treated it accordingly.

The same is now true for our bodies. Once Jesus ascended back into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live with—and within—each believer. 

Our culture sends a lot of messages about what we can do with our bodies: feed it bad food, not feed it enough, hurt it, or just talk down on it.

When we remind ourselves that the Holy Spirit lives in us, how does that change how we view our bodies? Treat our bodies? Talk about our bodies to other believers? 

When we acknowledge that we are wonderfully made, it’s a way to praise God. The opposite is also true. When we are unkind to ourselves, it doesn’t honor God. Your family, your church, your school—the whole world—needs you as God created you, not copies of someone else. You are a unique masterpiece of God. God wants us to honor Him with our bodies because He paid a high price so we might have life. 

Treat your body with kindness and speak good words about it.