January 20, 2018 Saturday

“"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 honour God with your body.” (1Corinthians 6:12-20 NIV)

            Have you ever lived with the tension of doing the dos and not doing the don’ts?  Someone once said that if you spend more time doing the dos you have less time to do the don’ts.

            Paul reminds us that it is the power of God we are raised to a new life just as Jesus was raised.  We often think of this new life as happening after our physical death when we get to heaven.  But Paul in these verses reminds us that our new life is now!

            Through God’s power we can live a new life under what is called sanctification and God will change us in what we want and what we do.  IF we spend time in prayer and reading the Bible over time God works on us like the potter with clay and molds into the person we never thought we could be.

            In this molding process God leaves His fingerprints in our lives as an indelible mark of His presence in our lives and His deep love for us.  As you look back and see the changes in your life you are seeing God’s fingerprints in your life.

            But what if you do not see those changes?  That is a sign that you have not spent time in prayer and in the Bible and have not taken time to develop a relationship with God.  God is a Gentleman and will not go where He is not wanted.

            If you make room for God in your life then you become a Temple for the presence of God and worship will not something that happens on Sunday but an everyday experience of unity with God’s love and His Church!

            What will you do?  Will you pray and ask God to make you a dwelling place for Him or will you settle for going to worship one day a week?

(Today I thought about those who are offended when the masculine words for God are used.  I do not want to hurt anyone but since God uses the masculine to refer to Himself I use that.)

            Today is the third day when the pain is less and I am able to get some things done.  I used to call them good days but in truth everyday with God is a good day!  I pray that I will be able to go to worship tomorrow!  I so miss being with God’s children.