Reverence for the Temple of the LORD

In the Old Testament several kings of Judah repented of the national rebellion against God. One of their actions following that repentance was to cleanse the land of idol worship and to tear down the high places. Repentance toward the LORD also led to cleansing and repair of the temple at Jerusalem.

Ok a bit corny but only one close HA!

In the New Testament, Paul states in 1 Corinthians  that we are the temple of the LORD. No longer a physical place we go to, but a reality of God in Us.
We are His holy dwelling.

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  

 Or do you not know that your body is a  temple of the Holy Spirit within you,

 whom   you have from God?   

You are not your own, 

for you

 were bought with a price. 

So glorify God in your body.

This brings up some questions.   Am I, as God's temple,  a temple of honor to Him?  Do I worship God alone.  Or, are there things in my life that dishonor Him?  What other areas are there in need of cleansing?
My heart easily harbors sinful behavior. Whether willful sin or careless thinking, bad attitudes, resentment or unforgiveness – all can quickly spring up.   As is true of other sins unnamed.

On top of the inner cleansing, there is then also the recognizing and removing of the idols of the heart. All of this, both inner and outer cleansing will be: 

     1) individual in every case
     2) and will only be revealed in truth as we draw near to the LORD.

We need to be spending time in the word daily –   

     Psalm 119:109 Your word is a lamp to my feet 

and a light to my path.

We need to give thanksgiving with our prayers and requests -   

  Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but

in everything by prayer and supplication with 

thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

We need to take notice of our thoughts -

                     Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, 
     whatever is true, 
          whatever is honorable, 
                whatever is just,
                    whatever is pure, 
                        whatever is lovely, 
                            whatever is commendable, 
               if there is any excellence, 
           if there is anything worthy of praise, 
                 think about these things.

And finally, we must remember God does the work in our lives. 

Our place is to be alert to hearing his voice as we immerse ourselves in His word, in thanksgiving, in praise and being aware of the thoughts and attitudes in our hearts and allowing him to direct our lives. Not the other way around.

         Galatians  2:16      yet we know that a person is not

    justified by works of the law but through faith

    in  Jesus Christ, so we also have  believed  in

    Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith

    in Christ  and not by works of the law, because

    by  works  of  the law no one will be justified.

Yes, we are His Temple.  We don't do the cleansing ourselves but we need to allow Him access to His temple and give him full access and rights to accomplish His work.