Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: Today's Passage

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

From the beginning to the end, God's heart was to dwell among His people. In the Old Testament, this was done by building the tabernacle. God wanted to meet His people in the tabernacle. As such, when Moses, representing the Israelites entered the tabernacle, a cloud would cover the temple, representing that God was with the Israelites. When it came to the time of King Solomon, God told Solomon to build His temple. When the magnificent gold-plated temple was built, the temple on Mount Zion shone with God's glory. If a child were to ask his parents where God was in those days, the parents would point to the temple on Mount Zion and say, "Children! You see the glory that fills the temple on Mount Zion? God is there!" When the people of Israel saw the temple, they knew that God was with them.

History tells us that the temple had been destroyed, but God's will to dwell with man has never stopped. When Jesus came to the world, and died on the cross for our sins, and was resurrected from the dead, he sent the Holy Spirit to live inside each one of us. We now have become the temple of God. Verse 16 says very clearly. In other words, the temple of God is in us. If our children were to ask us, "Mummy and Daddy, where is the God you believe in?" How should you answer? The world that we live in is full of wars, terrorists, evil and violence, and everyone is afraid. When our children ask where God is, do you quickly point to the Bible, or do you dare say to your child, "My child, God dwells inside of us!" Hallelujah, this is the real meaning of "God with us".

Did you know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? God lives in us. But how can people throughout the world understand the reality and presence of God? They can only see God through our life testimony. When we understand this truth, we would not dare to live casually because God is in us. When we feel tired, depressed, discouraged, we can quickly turn to the God who lives inside of us. Let us meditate on this truth and live out the truth of "God with us" in our daily lives.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you, because you are glad to be with us. Since the Old Testament time till now, God has been with us, and through Jesus Christ, walked in our midst. Thank you for this infinite grace. Manifest your presence in our lives each day so that we may have victory in you. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!