Bodily Worship
Episode 13 - Published 29 Nov 2025
Featuring readings of The Temple and Open My Eyes from Meet My Friend and The Power of The Tongue from Be Refreshed.
This episode I’ve called Bodily Worship. It’s about using our bodies for God’s glory. God made us in his image, as a psalmist said in Psalm 139, verses 13-14. For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb, and I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
We were designed to worship God, using our bodies for the glory of God. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 12, that our body is a unit, made up of many parts, and though the parts are many, they form one body. Romans 12, verse 4 tells us that Just as each of us has one body with many members, these members do not all have the same function.
In the Old Testament God resided in the temple. It was in the temple that people felt closer to God. Pilgrims sometimes travelled far and wide to encounter God in the temple building in Jerusalem. But when Jesus Christ came to earth in human form, he became the new earthly temple, and in the New Testament God’s people are the temple.
Jesus left the Holy Spirit to reside in all believers. Every believer in Jesus Christ is joined together as a family and are known as the church. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16 states, Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
Following is my poem and it’s called The Temple.
God sent the Holy Spirit to come to us,
Into the temple of our bodies to dwell,
He brought with Him a holy presence,
To assure us that all will be well.God knows that our bodies are not very strong,
That we can find worldly things hard to resist,
But with such power from God’s Spirit,
From Satan’s clutches we can desist.If the fire in the temple is waning fast,
And we are beginning to feel we can’t cope,
By prayer we can relight our inner fire,
As the Lord shows us love, trust and hope.Let the light of the Lord shine through the windows,
Open the door wide to let Jesus come in,
Lay the welcome mat at the portal,
And ask Jesus to free us from sin.Maintain all the rooms in the temple of God,
Keeping the foundation of faith true and strong,
Refurbish before it can crumble,
With rejoicing and prayer and with song
As we have already heard, our body has many members that have various functions. All our outward members can be used to emphasise the wonder of God and used to demonstrate how they can be used for all people of all ages. A children’s chorus that was performed with actions in a tune in Sunday school went like this, and some of you will probably recognise it.
It says, two little eyes to look to God, two little ears to hear his word, two little feet to walk in his ways, and two little lips to sing his praise, two little hands to do his will, and one little heart to love him still. Unfortunately, I don’t know the author, but it was this chorus that inspired me to write the following poem that’s called Open My Eyes. Took it from Psalm 119 verse 18 that says: Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Open my eyes that I may see,
The wonder of life you gave to me,
The beauty of nature that doth surround,
Your awesome creation seen all around.Open my ears that I may hear,
The great wonders of truth that draws me near,
Words from you when to this world you came,
And now in heaven forever you reign.Open my mouth that I may speak
Of you my God, so others may seek;
Let all my words be told true and right,
So people will know the truth of your light.Open my hands that I may feel,
Your very presence as to you I kneel,
Make me aware of your touch so sure,
As I walk towards your wide open door.Open my heart that I may know,
My personal Saviour whom I love so,
You died on the cross to set me free,
From all of my sins that so burdened me.Open my mind and God intrude,
Please give my being the right attitude
So that I may be worthy of you,
In all that I say and all that I do.
Hopefully we will endeavour to use our bodies for the glory of the Lord. There is one feature There is one feature of our makeup that can be used both wisely or unwisely, depending on the circumstances or the tone that we use. You’ve probably heard the saying, think before you speak. This is certainly true and necessary. Yes, you have guessed, it’s called the tongue. So I will close this session with my poem that’s called The Power of the Tongue. It comes from Philippians chapter 2 verse 11: …and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Our tongue is like a flame of fire,
Which can be used against our brothers,
But wisely used and you will find,
It can encourage and warm others.What do your words convey to God,
When you kneel down before Him to pray?
Do all your words come, through the heart
Showing love and praise in what you say?Use your tongue to uplift others,
When they are low their self worth renew,
Tell them how much God does love them,
And understands what they’re going through.Don’t compromise on your standards,
When some non-believers are around,
But with your words and with actions,
Display how your faith in God is sound.The tongue’s a powerful organ,
Has abilities to change a life,
It can bring peace, joy or sorrow,
Happiness and elation or strife.It’s our responsibility,
For as a Christian it is our role,
To know the ‘Fruit of the Spirit,’
And over our tongue use self control.Keep your eyes always on Jesus,
Read and listen to what He does say,
Be tuned into God for guidance,
And you could lead one to God today.Be ever alert for Satan,
For your words he will try to distort,
Think well before you use your tongue,
Hold onto integrity of thought.It’s not just having the knowledge,
That the teacher is remembered for,
But how knowledge was delivered,
Is what will make a man thirst for more.Use words to each other kindly,
And in gossip never take a part,
With your words don’t hurt Lord Jesus,
For it’s the tongue that reveals the heart.Be gracious towards each other,
Be helpful in thought, word and deed,
Use your tongue to tell of Jesus,
And thank God for His grace indeed.So think of words before you speak,
Consider how well you use your tongue,
Let all you say, and all you do,
Bring all honour to God’s risen Son.