1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (NIV)

Seven dogs bring a lot of the outside in with them during every day of every season. During the winter, the snow comes in stuck to feet and legs. It's mud during the spring, bugs and dust during the summer, and dry leaves and sticks amidst the fall. All that stuff from the outside coming in can cause me a lot of extra work when it comes to keeping the house clean. One of the habits that I have cultivated, however, which prevents a lot of the outside coming in, is to groom each dog quickly with a comb appropriate for their coat, before they enter the house.

Likewise, if we are not alert and careful, we, too, can pick up a lot of unwelcome debris from the outside world and bring it into our lives, the temple of the Lord, wherein dwells His Holy Spirit. Inappropriate attitudes, language, humour, thoughts, and even actions can all attach themselves to us, often slowly and in such a way that we become unaware of their intrusive presence until one day we discover that our lives have in one area or another begun to stray far from the path of Christ's walk and ways.

There is, however, something that we can do about this, if we will cultivate the habit of daily asking the Holy Spirit to inspect our lives and to point out and help us to comb out anything and everything that does not line up with God's will and way. By so doing, the Spirit is able to impress upon us where the unwelcome debris is coming from: certain television programs, movies, the Internet, reading material, friends or acquaintances, hobbies, unhealed wounds, an unforgiving spirit, or our own desires which do not line up with God's will and way. There are many, many things that can and do inappropriately influence us, but the Holy Spirit knows everything, and He is able to make us aware of and free us from all of them, if only we will let Him.

Today, may each of us set the ongoing goal of letting Him.

Prayer: Father God, what an awesome truth and privilege it is to be a temple for Your Holy Spirit. Bless each of us with the desire to allow Your Spirit to inspect our lives daily and then to honour You by obeying the things that He tells us to do, that our bodies may be holy and welcoming places for Your presence. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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