a pondering...

So, we started this new class on Wednesday nights. Its called Godly Life Management, and is about making God a part of every facet of your life, body, mind, home, service, relationships, etc.

It has been a great study that has really been using alot of scripture, which I feel like alot of our studies are lacking now. Strangly, we like to use books that talk about the Bible, more than using the Bible itself alot of times.

Elizabeth George does a great job combining her words with scriptures so that your focused in on what the scripture says, rather than what she says. I have already learned so much.

These past couple, and next couple weeks are focusing on how to incorporate God into the use of your physical bodies. It has been eye-opening talking about how we need to care for our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Now, this is nothing new. Except that it has been a concept that I have recently really been amazed by (its great when these things I have heard all my life become "aha" moments).

So, the HS is the "person" part of God. He is the "on earth", "in us", the place where God meets person. He is the added benefit to the relationship we had prior to Jesus' death, right? So, the Holy Spirit is an actual PERSON living inside of me. Who, because of our decision to 'put on Christ' is the part of us that is our direct connection to God. Its like a program downloaded onto our computer. You download it, and now its part of the system.

This realization for me makes so many other concepts make so much more sense! The HS is there, in our being, in our person acting in us as GOD in our bodies.

• Romans 8:26 - "..the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And, he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

But, we are constantly fighting our natural bodies, our sinful nature ..cause it was there first. Our sinful nature is SO sinful ..we desire things that so opposite from the Spirit.

• Galations 5:16 - "...our sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with eachother so that you do no do what you want to do." So that we understand so well when Paul said,
• Romans 7:15 - "...For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do!"

Our sinful nature desires to be selfish, violent, disobedient, self focused, self gratifying, self serving. It IS natural to crave the wrong. It NATURAL that we are attracted to shows we shouldnt watch with violence, immorality, crude humor. Its part of our sinful nature. But, we dont get off that easy!

If you are a Christian, then you have taken the Holy Spirit into your BODY. You have asked that another PERSON come into your body and replace those sinful desires with that God wants.

Thus, when we push aside that sinful nature and allow the Holy Spirt to do its thing ..we get "..love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control."

Becuase its not us. Its that God-person living in us. Ever experienced that? When you were talking ot someone and your words suddenly werent yours anymore? You were saying things that were just right, and you didnt know where they came from? The Spirit was taking over! Have you ever felt peace when you shouldnt have becuase the chaos around you should have made your body panic? The Holy Spirit had that one. Have you ever loved someone, had compassion on someone, was forgiving of someone who didnt deserve it? Not your natural self..that one wouldnt feel up to it.

So. God has given us, this incredible thing, cause He knew that our natural bodies and hearts couldnt handle the task! Look at the Jews of the Old Testament. They had lots of rules, but God was not IN them.

He decided..you know what? If this is gonna be done right, I am gonna have to do it myself! I gotta move their mouths, their hands, their hearts, their minds myself. So, we get to say that He is in us.

We have God that close to us - and He will work when allowed to work. WHEN our sinful nature gets out of the way.

Amazing.

ALL that has lead to a whole new perspective on how I should take care of my body. IF God is livng in me, I am his temple (I Corinthians 6:17-20) then I should probably keep the house up, right.

An interesting thing that she pointed out was that care of the temple was one of the most important roles in the Jewish life. It was in time of spiritual decline of the country went the temple fell to disrepair. In times of spiritual revival, the temple was the first to be fixed up and meticulously maintained.

Interesting huh? Kinna changes the focus on why we take care of ourselves. Not for a number on the scale, or a size of jeans. But, so that we can have our temple in the best care possible.

Well..there is my sermon for the morning :)