#DailyDevotion Your Body Is The Triune God’s Temple & Your Heart Is His Throne

John 14:23-31 ²³Jesus answered him, “If you love Me, you’ll keep My word, and My Father will love you, and we will come to you and live with you. ²⁴Anyone who doesn’t love Me doesn’t keep My words. And you are hearing, not what I say, but what the Father says Who sent Me. ²⁵“I’ve told you this while I’m still with you. ²⁶But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything I told you.

Well, do you love Jesus? Jesus says if you love him you will keep his word. Are you keeping his word? What does it mean to keep his word? The devil will have you believe that means you are obeying it perfectly. Well who does that? Not even Peter, the Apostles or St. Paul. Keep must not mean that then. What does it mean? It is from the Greek word terew. There is a range of meanings for this word just like in English. The most appropriate translations for the context are: keep watch upon, guard, to mark attentively, heed, observe, keep strictly, preserve and maintain.

So think about someone you love, say a grandfather, grandmother, an aunt or uncle, a teacher, and maybe even your parents. Have they ever said something that sticks with you, something your cherish and live your life by? Of course they could have said something that hurts that you won’t let go of either. In any case, you remember what that person said. You think about. You may share it with others. You cherish it because of the person who said it.

So we too, if we love Jesus, we will keep his word. Not just the things we like he said, but we will keep all of his word, his teaching. We will not try to soften it nor will we try to make it harder to do. We will be faithful to transmit, to hand down faithfully everything Jesus has taught us. The word of Jesus is also not just his word. Jesus says the Father gave him the word to give to us. On top of that even as the Father gave Jesus the word, Jesus gives the Holy Spirit the word and the Spirit gives us the word, reminding us and teaching us everything Jesus had taught us. The Holy Spirit moved the Apostolic fathers to write down that teaching for us in what we call the New Testament. He speaks to us and teaches us there in those words. Jesus’ word is never without the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

Now hear this great promise of Jesus, “My Father will love you, and we will come to you and live with you.” Of course we know the Father already loves us because he sent Jesus to die for us and redeem us from sin, death and the devil. This is a love for us when we believe the Father’s love for us in Christ and keep, observe, watch, treasure the word he gave us by Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we reject his word and don’t keep it we don’t love Jesus. If we do keep his word, as said above then indeed we do love Jesus and the Father loves us. Not only does he love us, he makes our bodies his home, his temple. That is amazing that God the Father and Jesus can dwell in us, in our hearts. He locates himself right in our hearts making our bodies his holy temple, far greater than Solomon’s temple is our body when the Father and Jesus makes it his dwelling and home. Kind of makes you think about what we do with our bodies. The great comforting fact here is we are never without the Father or Jesus. We are never alone. It doesn’t matter if we don’t “feel” his presence. His promise is true and reliable. Whether you are feeling great or sitting in a dung pile and disease ridden, the Father is dwelling in you. He will never leave you or forsake you. You have his word. You have his promise.

Heavenly Father, give us your Holy Spirit so we may truly keep Jesus’ word, love him and have us be your dwelling, now and forevermore. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.