1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Volumes are written about the mind, our emotional makeup, our "inner man," the soul, the spirit and the spiritual dimension. But by comparison, very little is being said by evangelicals today about the physical body.
• We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1)
• We are instructed not to yield any part of our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness to sin (Romans 6:12-13)
• Our bodies are actually "members of Christ" (1 Corinthians 6:15)
• Our bodies are actually "temples" literally inhabited by the Holy Spirit
(1 Corinthians 6:19)
• We are expected to "glorify God" in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20)
• We are to become students of our bodies, knowing how to control them in honour (1 Thessalonians 4:4)
You see, these bodies of ours can easily lead us off course. It isn't that the body itself is evil; it's just that it possesses any number of appetites that are ready to respond to the surrounding stimuli...all of which are terribly appealing and temporarily satisfying.
Let me ask you: Do you know your body? Are you aware of the things that weaken your control of it? Have you stopped to consider the danger zones and how to stay clear of them?
Personal purity is an attainable goal.
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Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.