Not Our Own

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the Apostle Paul makes a strong statement of direction to those of the Corinthian church. He began it with respect to sexual purity but as you read it you realize that this becomes an encouragement and reminder for all of life.

... do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

By the work of the cross we were redeemed by Jesus Christ in order to know, love and serve Him in all that we do. As you look at Paul's encouragement, you see that we are called to glorify God in our bodies and our spirits (v.20). Through his statement, he didn't focus exclusively on what we do with our physical bodies, but also on what our hearts (spirits) pursue. The effect of this powerful declaration is that nothing in our lives becomes irrelevant to Father God and no stone is left unturned. We were bought with the price of Jesus' life and as a result, our only reasonable response is to give Him all of who we are. So whether it's a song, a monetary offering, service to someone else, our performance at work, the way we run our business, or the way we treat others, everything is our gift back to Him. With that in mind, we must stay in close contact with Him by His word and Spirit in order to love what He loves, hate what He hates and live our lives accordingly.

So the next time you prepare for the day, have a thought cross your mind, or find yourself pondering the course of your life, remember that all we are and all that we do is for His glory. We truly are not our own.