I heard a quote the other day on the radio from Luis Palau. He quoted C.S. Lewis. And that quote has been hanging with me...challenging my thinking...and transforming how I view not only myself but this walk of life on this earth. Here is the quote:
You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
C. S. Lewis
Here are a few of my humble musings, may the Lord weed out anything that does not glorify Him:
This body I have is simply a house. It is not who I am or what I am, it is simply a means to an end. My body has no significance other than to function as a tool for the soul that I am. It is through this tool that I am able to minister, live, and carry out the will of my Father - in Spirit and Truth. AND, this tool should not control me, but I it. This concept opens up a plethora of new thoughts regarding the battles between flesh and spirit - addictions - and self control. I'm not bound, condemned, or controlled by it. It is not who I am!
Paralleling that quote with God and His temple. God doesn't need a temple...He is Spirit and all powerful. YET, He chose to put His Spirit into a temple so that He could be among us - first as an actual building (the Jewish Temple), then as an actual body (Jesus), and now actually IN us (through the Holy Spirit)! How He must long for relationship with His (spiritual) children...to put such limitations on Himself just to be with us! He could chose to remain in all His glory separated from us but He LONGS for us so much that He subjects Himself to the limitations of clay vessels. How encouraging for us to remember that this earth (the clay vessels of our bodies) is not where we belong! We belong with HIM...in spirit...not in body!
And to know that though God subjects Himself to the limitations of earthly temples His power can still flow freely through these clay vessel is so reassuring. Isn't that the exact picture of what happened when Jesus walked among us in the fleshly body of a man? God's power revealed through a clay vessel. I've heard many times before that Jesus was here as an example to us, but I never grasped the concept from a viewpoint that I am spirit or soul. I always looked at it from the perspective of me as a body - in the limitations of the flesh - justifying my failures by saying 'Well, Jesus is God and I'm not so I'm just subject to failure because I am human.' But, I don't have to be subject to the flesh, because I'm not body...I'm soul! Yes, I will still struggle with flesh while I am here on this earth, but this body does not control who I am! Seeing Jesus' example as instruction of how to use the tool of a body for the glory of God - enabling the Spirit to work with my spirit through the clayen vessel - I'm eager to take another look at His example. This opens up a whole new perspective for me on crucifying the flesh, taking up my cross and following Him.
As I continue to grow in Christ and seek out God's will, I pray that the lessons He is teaching me may be of use to someone else. These musings are not from my authority on a topic but humble sharings of what God is working through my life.
May the Lord bless you, work deeply in your life, and bring you to a renewed faith in Him.
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