Respect
Who would have thought that what we do to our bodies, we do to God?
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Today's epistle is all about respect.
Paul wants us to know that now that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our house, our bodies, we need to keep the house clean. It is out of respect for God that we do this.
I know I haven't been as respectful as I should be. I should eat less, exercise more, treat my body like a temple.
I guess if we surround ourselves with temptations, we make the task all that much harder. The lesson here is to do all we can to avoid temptation, by reminding ourselves that the body we inhabit is also God's dwelling place.
Maybe, if we respect Him, we can respect ourselves.
More to come...