Who's in Control?

To whom do you belong? As a child you belong to your family. From there your allegiance changes periodically throughout life. A military drill sergeant informed his young recruits they belonged to him until boot camp was completed. You may belong to your spouse or fiancée. Spiritually, you may belong to Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul agreed he was no longer master of his soul, for he now belonged to Jesus Christ. He later wrote, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

To relinquish control of your life to God is to acknowledge him as Lord and Master. The Apostle Paul felt privileged to be a bond servant of Jesus. He felt privileged to serve him as his Master. Belonging to Jesus and serving him with gladness surpasses all other achievements.  

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For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him.

~Philippians 1:29 Good News Bible 

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Your Life: Abuse It or Preserve It?

There is a duplicity about human nature that’s difficult to understand. We do everything possible to preserve our life, for without life nothing else is possible. Yet we devise ways to abuse the life God has given us to celebrate and enjoy. We abuse our bodies by overindulging them beneath the guise of experiencing joy and celebrating.

The Apostle Paul asked this grappling question, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit whom you receive from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Thinking of your body as God’s dwelling place is reason to be committed to keeping it healthy. 

Robert Browning proposed, “How good is man’s life, the mere living! How fit to employ the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy!” As we remain faithful to Christ in honoring and respecting our bodies as his dwelling place, we’re then invited to enter into his joy. Celebrate God’s gift of life with joy and thanksgiving.  

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You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred – and you, remember, are the temple.

~1 Corinthians 3:16-17 The Message

So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.

~Romans 12:1 Good News Bible