Imagine that you are a very talented architect, designer and a good organizer.
Imagine that you are a very talented architect, designer and a good organizer who receives the exclusive project: to build a building in which all presidents, kings, monarchs and their ministers from all over the world will gather every month for diplomatic meetings. And not only that: you are tasked with inventing every detail, both outside and inside: the colors, the furniture, the menu, even what to fill the free time of these important people with when they have breaks between meetings.
Exterior & Interior
What construction will you design? The best one, isn’t it! What architectural look will you come up with for the building? From the outside, it will be a breathtaking building, no doubt. However, it will not be an ordinary business building for the leaders of the world. You want to surpass the Capitol, the Sydney Opera House, the Taj Mahal, the Museum of the Future in Rio de Janeiro, and maybe you hope to surpass the height of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Why not use gold in some of the details or ornaments, it will undoubtedly look more regal?
The furniture – will be one of the most comfortable, right? These world-renowned rulers will sit for a long time discussing important issues and should feel more than comfortable. It is unacceptable for their backs to hurt after the 15th minute.
Menu
And the menu ?! I doubt that there will be pizza, Coca-Cola, chips or a burger, nor food ordered from the nearest Chinese restaurant, no matter how big a fan you are of Chinese cuisine. And for dessert it will hardly be snickers or milk chocolate. After all it`s not about you, it is about the great figures in our world. It will certainly not only be a sophisticated food, but it will also be 100% healthy, especially now when more and more people prefer to be vegetarians and vegans. World-famous chefs such as Rachel Ray, Wolfgang Pack, Gordon Ramsey, Nobuki Matsushima and others will cook for them on schedule.
Time for relaxing
You also need to think carefully about, let’s call them, the “programs” you need to choose and organize, in the time to relax after their tiring discussions and important decisions. Music, stand-up, musical and theatrical performances …. you have to decide ….
Designing and realizing a building that appeals to so many special people and everything you’ve made inside and out is … um, perfect, as well as food and entertainment, it’s a very responsible task. We can rightly call it: “the project of your life”.
What would you build for Him?
And what do you think, if you have to do all this for only one person – the Monarch of all galaxies, the Head of world leaders (although not everyone respects Him, and some are not even interested in His existence), the Only One which depends on whether you and I, and whether all presidents, kings, leaders, queens, lords, etc. will wake up alive and well tomorrow? What would you build for Him – the Creator, for God? … A temple? What? Solomon did it, built the most grandiose temple of his time, and it could be said – of all time, whose architect is God Himself. And how many beautiful and unique temples we have seen that take our breath away!
You are a temple
But if it turns out that the greatest temple that God has ever created is you, things become quite serious. Behold, I will prove to you by His Word:
“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you[a] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16)
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [a]and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
You carry His image
And not only that, we carry His image, which makes us unique creatures:
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over [a]all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. “ (Genesis 1:26-27)
So, if you are a temple of God, in which He dwells, how will you look on the outside, what clothes will you wear, how will you behave, how will you talk to others …? Jesus once said to the people who had gathered to listen to Him:
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil [a]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Lukas 6:45)
What do you have in YOUR temple?
This leads to questions such as: What do you fill your temple with every day, i.e your soul and thoughts? Which treasures do you collect? What music are you listening to? Which movies do you watch? What are you reading? Which food do you eat? What do you drink? Where do you like to go and what you do in your free time? Who your friends are and what you talk about and do with them? Are you honest and responsible at work, at school, at home …? But these are questions that only you know the answers to. When you answer honestly, you will understand what kind of temple you are (if that interests you). All decisions about the value of the temple from now on are made solely by you.
A symbol
The temple is generally a symbol above all of God’s presence, purity, morality, peace, love, repentance, forgiveness, and all the other heavenly virtues that God’s children are good to possess.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22, 23)
Yes, YOU ARE a temple
Are you a temple? Yes, you are a temple. But what is in your temple? I only hope: love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. And remember, “The good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil”.