Our Bodies - Portals of God's Glory

 
            A portal can be described as a gate or a doorway. Spiritually speaking, it is a point of access between the earthly and the divine. In Genesis 28:12, Jacob had a dream of a ladder reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. Jacob named the place Bethel, “house of God” and the “gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17).

            In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem served as earthly portals for God’s presence to dwell on earth. In the New Testament, the tearing of the temple veil at the moment Christ died, can be seen as the opening of a new portal, granting believers access to God through Jesus and allowing for a personal relationship with Him.

              The Person and work of Jesus can be seen as the portal of salvation and eternal life. Jesus said, “Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the Gate will be saved and will go in and out and find green pastures” (John 10:9 TLB).

          When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. “Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary” (1 Corinthians 6:19 TPT).

         The Holy Spirit acts as a portal in the life of a believer, facilitating communication and interaction between the born again person and God.

            It is God’s desire to use our bodies for His glory. I would like to look at seven parts of our bodies and how God can use them as portals, or gateways, to further His kingdom here on earth. In this post, I will look at four – heart, mouth, eyes, and ears. In the next post, I will look at the last three – our minds, hands, and feet.

1. The Heart

           In Scripture, our hearts are considered the centre of our beings, the source of our thoughts, emotions, and desires, or will. Jesus said, “...A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s in your heart” (Luke 6:45 VOICE).

            A heart transformed by God is essential to living a life that glorifies Him. God desires to make our hearts more like His, filled with His love and compassion, with a desire to do His will.

         Transformed hearts bring glory to God by living lives of obedience, sharing God’s plan of salvation with others, and using the spiritual gifts given to us. A transformed heart studies God’s Word and prays in order to align our hearts and wills with His. When this happens, God gets glory.

     2. The Mouth
            The words of our mouth are powerful. They can bless or curse, encourage or discourage, hurt or heal, tear down or build up. “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – you choose” (Proverbs 18:21 MSG).

             When we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, our mouth will “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

         Through praise and worship, sharing the Gospel, expressing truth in love, encouraging and edifying others, speaking with kindness and compassion, confessing and repenting from our sin, and controlling what we say, our mouths bring glory to God.
     
      3. Eyes and Ears
          Eyes

            Through our eyes, we appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. The world God designed can teach us important lessons. “Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance – but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?...If God gives such attention to the wildflowers...don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?” (Luke 12:27 MSG).

               God’s creation helps us to better understand Him and His power. “But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see...eternal power...and the mystery of his (God’s) divine being” (Romans 1:20 MSG).

               Jesus called our eyes the lamp of our body, steering our bodies toward evil and destruction or righteousness and life. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23 NIV).

            With our eyes, we are to watch. We are to discern the signs of the times. Jesus said, “...You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the sign of the times” (Matthew 16:3). He also said, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).

             Reading God’s word is one of the most important things we can do with our eyes. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV). “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130 ESV).

           As we watch the signs of the times outlined in God’s word unfold around us, we will be propelled to share the good news of the Gospel.
           
           Ears

              We are to be careful what we hear. “He (Jesus) also said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you are hearing! The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you – and more besides!’” (Mark4:24 CJB).

              We’re not to have itching ears, going after all sorts of ideas, some of which will be false and lead us in the wrong direction. “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV).

            We are to be mindful of how we hear. “Pay attention to how you listen! Everyone who has something will be given more, but people who have nothing will lose what little they think they have” (Luke 8:18 CEV).

          The Apostle James  tells us to do more listening than talking. “Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]” (James 1:9 AMP).
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            When we listen thoughtfully and carefully to the needs of those around us, we bring glory to God.