Do you have a body? It “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” (1 Corinthians 6:13,14).
When sexual pleasure means we choose to ignore God’s boundaries for our bodies, we cheapen our bodies. We are treating them like trash cans with no other purpose than to be used, dumped out and filled again, then used, dumped out, and filled again. And over time, they get really trashy.
That is not our Maker’s plan for our bodies! We’re more precious than that! God the Father raised the soul and body of his Son Jesus. So he will raise not just your soul, but your body. Your body, fellow believer! It’s that important to God. Your body will someday rise from death and join your soul in heaven.
Don’t claim to love God with your soul, but then despise him with your body.
Don’t watch X-rated shows or admire appealing images of porn. That’s despising God. Don’t crack sexually explicit jokes that downgrade God’s gift of sex within marriage. Don’t have sex outside of marriage. Don’t change the biological pronoun that God gave you and everybody when he “made them male and female” (Mark 10:6).
Listen, this isn’t grandma’s old-fashioned advice or a preacher’s conservative moral opinion. This is God’s way. Don’t take what is precious—the body that God made for you, saved from sin, and will someday raise to eternal life—and make it cheap.
“Control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God … the Lord will punish all those who commit such sins” (1 Thessalonians 4:4-6).
Our bodies are precious to God the Father, so precious that they will be kept for all eternity and, in heaven, made glorious like the body of his Son Jesus Christ. Honor God with your body.
Take to heart God’s owner’s manual instructions and trust that what he says about how you use your body is what’s best, even if it means doing the opposite of what your hormones and hot videos are telling you. It’s not just a will-power thing. It’s trusting that God, who designed your body, knows what is best for it. For you. It’s truly a gift and blessing.
Thank him for it by trusting him with it.
PRAYER: God, it’s strange that you love my body, but you do. I believe that you made my body, redeemed my body, and promise to keep it for eternity and make it glorious, just like Jesus’ body. I pray today that I better love you with my body. Amen.
READ MORE: Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. What warnings do you see? What promises empower you to love God with your body?
