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Sacred Sites

I recently came across a travel article that was written to encourage travel to “sacred sites” in the United States.

For the most part, the sacred sites listed were cathedrals, temples and churches.  The pictures of each showed very magnificent and ornate buildings.  There were also some sacred sites that were more along the lines of historically significant buildings or sites where significant religious activities have taken place.

Throughout the Old Testament period, God indicted that He would, at times, dwell in the temple.  The New Testament, however, mentions a different and more unique temple:

“Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,” (1 Cor 6:19 – AMPC)

In my case, this temple, that is the one that the Holy Spirit lives in (my body), is far from magnificent and ornate, at least from a human perspective.  But it is magnificent in that it points to the fact that God loves me and chose to bring me into a relationship with Himself.  To seal that love, He put His Holy Spirit within me.  Perhaps the same could be said of you and your temple.

And while my age almost puts me in the category of a historical site, I doubt that anyone is going to write a travel article to encourage travel to see my temple!

 

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