The Upward Look
© Copyright 2010, Max D. Hutto,

“You yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
   1 Peter 2:5 HCSB ©

Believers in Jesus, the Living Stone, are called living stones. God is forming these living stones into a spiritual house, a temple where God’s Spirit dwells. In the Old Testament God was portrayed as dwelling in the Tabernacle and then in the Jerusalem Temple. Peter now describes God as dwelling in every believer. God’s presence on earth is felt, seen, and heard through the lives of each believer. God’s church is not the wood, brick, and mortar of some building, but rather the people who believe in Jesus as they serve as holy priests offering spiritual sacrifices to God.

Lord Jesus, what a great honor and privilege it is to be a dwelling place of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to live in such a way as not to defile this holy temple.

* (footnotes & credits)

NASB ©
The Bible quotes marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA. (used with permission)

HCSB ©
The Bible quotes marked HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible,
© Copyright 2000 by Holman Bible Publishers (used with permission).

NIV ©
The Bible quotes marked NIV are from the New International Version,
© Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, by The International Bible Society. (used with permission)