Today's Bible Reading: 1 CORINTHIANS 4:1-7:40
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.
My body my choice is the mantra of many. They hold to the right to regulate their choices regarding their body. They are the masters of their own destiny. Their decisions are determined by their directives. They surrender themselves to what satisfies. They seek personal gratification over pleasing God.
Yet for the Christian our rights have been surrendered. We have willfully transferred all our rights to another. Our goal is to glorify God rather then gratify ourselves. Our body becomes a sacred sanctuary. It is a temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Our text affirms that we are not our own, but we have been bought with a price. That price is the redemptive sacrifice of our Redeemer. Now we belong to Jesus. His directives provide the direction for our decisions. His commands give clarity to our choices. We no longer run aimless in our actions. His words illuminated our path. We have moved from self-gratification to Savior-glorification.
As believers we are to glorify God with our body. We are treat our bodies in the same manner we would treat a sacred temple. We are to seek to cautious curtail what we put in our bodies and what we participate in with our bodies. We can’t let our desires and appetites drive our decisions. We must control our desires and curb our appetites. As Paul says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).
Someone once suggest a great question to use when considering how to use our bodies for the glory of God. They suggested that when you are deciding whether or not to do something with your body, you should ask, “Is this something that would be acceptable to do on Sunday morning in church?” Obviously, not all decisions would fit under this line of questioning, but many do.
The key to this whole text is don’t do something with your body that would defile yourself or others. Instead, strive to be holy both in body and spirit. Paul elsewhere states that we should "cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God" (2 Cor 6:7).
Our body is not our body so we should not act as though it is. Therefore, with every ouch of our being we should seek to glorify God in our body.
Today rejoice that you are not your own, but you have been bought with a great price. Thank the Lord for making your body a temple of His indwelling Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord to help you glorify Him in your body.
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