DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Chose The Right Path
by Judy Webb
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The Spirit of God indwells every believer, our body is the shrine of the Holy Spirit, and we need to recognize this and act accordingly. But it isn’t easy in this fallen world. In movies, on television we see affection reduced to lust, intimacy reduced to casual sex, and relationships intended to be deeply rooted and lifelong, replaced with short flings that burn hot and fast and then leave us simply with ashes.
Often we are tempted to bemoan the ‘state of our world’ and express hopelessness when wicked behavior is exposed. We are shocked and alarmed by the conduct of our favorite celebrities and continue to question the state of our world in general, and our own families in particular. But there is always hope.
We must pick our paths carefully lest the things we freely choose become our undoing. When we allow certain entertainment to occupy a prominent place in our living rooms, when we become immune to foul language and consider it just part of ‘life in the real world’ we open ourselves to destructive habits and relationships. We must cling to hope.
What I do (or don’t do) in my body matters. What we do (or don’t do) as a body of believers matters. Ask the person whose marriage has been destroyed by sexual infidelity, if faithfulness matters. Speak with an individual whose life has been turned upside down because of a child's rebellion, discover how important family togetherness is.
Christian integrity, self-control and virtuous living is the message in this passage. Put your body to use glorifying God. Because God himself lives in us. We have the strength, the power over sins of the flesh because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
PRAYER
Dear God,
Help us to see how important it is to remember that we were bought with a price. The price of Jesus' blood. His death and resurrection restored hope to each of us. Let us live like the saved people we are. Amen.
Good morning, Judy.
Your message does indeed convict me to respect my body because it is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We just returned from 3 days celebrating our 40th wedding anniveersary. We indulged with lots of great food and sweets (my downfall). Now that we are home the mindset is, "ok now we have to get back on track". My motivation is to keep my weight steady and try to stay somewhat fit. What is driving those desires? It is because I dont want to fall off a cliff with my weight or get lazy in my exercise routine. But why? Pride, i suppose. After rethiing today's Scripture on the temple of the Holy Spirit, it moves me t…