Why it’s Important to Clean Our Temple

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I know it’s time to do some deep cleaning. My office is out of order. The closet is even worse and there is a strange smell coming from the pantry. Our home definitely needs extra TLC because a clean house is more inviting. It looks better. It actually makes my brain feel less cluttered.

The prophet Ezekiel was in exile when through visions God took him back to Jerusalem and gave him specific detail of how he wanted the Temple rebuilt. Every dimension. All décor. Each room. God laid it out, perhaps faster than Ezekiel could write. He was responsible for putting God’s house back in order.

Then something spectacular happened. When YHWH brought Ezekiel to the temple gate facing east, the glory of the LORD entered the temple. Ezekiel 43:2 says God’s voice was like “the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.” His glory “filled the temple.” After this powerful encounter, perhaps leaving Ezekiel prostrate on the ground, God told Ezekiel to get his pad of paper out again. “These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits, that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth…” I think the Lord knew with all the mind numbing details, Ezekiel needed a little “pick me up.”

In the mundane day-to-day routine of life, we can all have experiences like this where God’s glory fills our temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says God no longer resides in a building in Jerusalem. Through His Holy Spirit, he lives in the hearts of believers. One catch. For his glory to fill our temples, he needs a clean vessel. Ask God today, “What needs cleaning so that you can fill me with your glory?” My thoughts? My actions? What I watch? Then once you’ve cleaned out the clutter, ask the Holy Spirit to fill your temple.

I once sponsored a woman on a “Walk to Emmaus” and still remember how she looked after the four-day retreat. In her sixties at the time, she glowed and appeared twenty years younger. God’s glory had filled her temple and there was a visible difference in her.

So in the quietness of your home today, do some temple cleaning, then prepare for God’s glory to be visible to all through you.