On day King Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as a sacred offering to the Lord’s Temple, whether it is a regular assessment, a payment of vows, or a voluntary gift. Let the priests take some of that money to pay for whatever repairs are needed at the Temple.

2 Kings 12:4-5 (NLT)

Joash was a very young king, but even in his youth, he had more wisdom than his predecessors. Though he did not tear down the pagan shrines, he took it upon himself to have the Temple of the Lord repaired and restored.

Good for the kid king, but what does it have to do with me and my life right now?

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16 (NLT)

I believe that this verse is often used to say that you are the temple of God or I am the temple of God. But in this translation all of [us] together are the temple of God. God doesn’t just inhabit one person. He lives in and through the entire Church—globally. So what happens when even a small portion of that temple has fallen into disrepair? Other parts can make up for it for a while, but in time, as other pieces collapse, the entire building will begin to crumble.

Christianity is not a solo sport. We are not individuals, we are a body.

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up on whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:12, 27 (NLT)

All of you together.

Imagine what we, the Church, could accomplish if we would live like one body? If we would act like parts of a whole instead of trying to do our own thing and wondering why we can’t see anything (because you’re an ear, not an eye).

The purpose of Christians working, living, and learning together is not so that we can all be one big happy family (of course we can, though). It is because we are stronger together. We were created to work together. We are to hold each other up while the other is being restored. And we are to hold each other accountable. If the part beside you is in need of repair, don’t let it continue to fall to pieces, rather address the issue and fix it—together.

Like in the time of Joash, I believe that the Temple of God—the global Church—is in need of repair and restoration. We’ve fallen apart and separated into pieces we were never meant to be because we were meant to be one unit. The Temple. One building. One body. One Spirit. One Saviour. One Church.

Daily Bible reading: 2 Kings 12-14. John 5:25-47