The In-Between

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:10-11 (NLT)

Recently, I’ve been thinking about this verse and others like it. As Christians, we talk a lot about Christ’s life, death and resurrection, as we should. We talk about his 2nd coming and the hope that we have as we look forward. Again, we should.

One thing we don’t seem to talk about very much is the in-between. What about now? How do we live our lives right now, in the everyday mess? What does it mean to have Christ live in me? What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit take up residence in my body?

There are so many Bible texts that talk about this….too many to list but it is clear that the Holy Spirit living in you, Jesus living in you, gives you a power you do not have on your own. This live-in arrangement provides wisdom, understanding, and love. It teaches us when we don’t understand. The Holy Spirit provides our strength when we are weak, boldness and courage. He helps us dream dreams and overcome temptation. In Acts 1:8 it says he provides power to us. Dynamite Power!

Does it seem to anyone else that this might be missing in our world and our lives? Does it feel like maybe we are not tapping into this resource that we are given that helps us BE God’s people? It feels like it to me.

As I pondered this and prayed about it, I began to realize that I am not using the Holy Spirit power I was given. Why do I think I am stuck in that temptation? Why do I think I cannot do what God is asking or go where he is calling? Why do I sometimes have a spirit of fear? What’s up with that?

I have access to the power of God Almighty living in me! In me! So do you! The realization that my life could be so much more if I would only take hold of what was already given, began to settle in. And then it blew my mind. It would be like someone offering you a bazillion dollars and you stuck it under your mattress and didn’t use it. Except this is way better.

How do we start to tap into this God-given gift? First, pray. And keep praying that God will pour out more of the Spirit on you. That he will fill you so much you overflow. And then, remember. Remember when you are afraid. Remember when you are tempted. Remember when you need power and boldness. Remember, that He is right there. He is waiting for you to tap into Him. He is walking with you. Turn to Him and let him take over!

That’s what we do with the in-between.

Maintaining a Temple

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 (NLT)

To fully take care of ourselves we need to address the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of who we are. We talk a lot about the spiritual component. Today, I’d like to talk about the physical.

We are told our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives in us. And we are also told we are to take care of our bodies. I believe the stronger we are physically, the better we can serve God. When he calls us to something, we can do it!

So how do you take care of a temple? Obviously, as with any building, you have to be cognizant of the bones. If a building isn’t structurally sound, it can’t function as intended and eventually becomes a hazard. The materials you put into it are what keeps it functioning well.

The same with your body. How we maintain our bodies determines our overall well-being. And this takes a little discipline.

What do you put into your body as fuel? Is most of what you eat processed food? Is your food full of sugar? What is the nutritional value in what you eat? Is your body getting from your food what it needs to thrive?

What about exercise? Do you spend time each day moving your body so it gets the exercise it needs to be strong? Are your muscles and joints limber so they can function as intended? Do you have enough muscle tone to carry out the day’s activities? Most of these things don’t happen sitting at a desk or on the couch!

How much sleep do you get? When you sleep your body heals. Do you burn the candle at both ends? Do you wake up tired?

I think if we each took a moment and considered how to maintain our temple, if we asked God how we can improve our health habits, we’d be able to identify one thing that we could work on. Once we made that a habit, we could identify another.

Our purpose here on earth is to be God’s hands and feet. In order to do that, we need to be as healthy as we can be. What are you going to start (or stop) doing that will help you be the best you?