My Body is About Him by Max Lucado

"Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT). Paul wrote these words to counter the Corinthian sex obsession. "Run away from sexual sin!" reads the prior sentence. "No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body." (v.18 NLT).

What a salmon scripture! No message swims more up-stream than this one. You know the sexual anthem of our day: "I'll do what I want. It's my body." God's firm response? "No, it's not. It's mine."

Be quick to understand, God is not antisex. Dismiss any notion that God is antiaffection and anti-intercourse. After all, he developed the whole package. Sex was his idea. From his perspective, sex is nothing short of holy.

He views sexual intimacy the way I view our family Bible. Passed down from my father's side, the volume is one hundred years old and twelve inches thick. Replete with lithographs, scribblings, and a family tree, it is, in my estimation, beyond value. Hence, I use it carefully.

When I need a stepstool, I don't reach for the Bible. If the foot of my bed breaks, I don't use the family Bible as a prop. When we need old paper for wrapping, we don't rip a sheet out of this book. We reserve the heirloom for special times and keep it in a chosen place.

Regard sex the same way--as a holy gift to be opened in a special place at special times. The special place is marriage, and the time is with your spouse.

Casual sex, intimacy outside of marriage, pulls the Corinthian ploy. It pretends we can give the body and not affect the soul. We can't. We humans are so intricately psychosomatic that whatever touches the soma impacts the phyche as well. The me-centered phrase "as long as no one gets hurt" sounds noble, but the truth is, we don't know who gets hurt. God-centered thinking rescues us from the sex we thought would make us happy. You may think your dalliances are harmless, and years may pass before the x-rays reveal the internal damage, but don't be fooled. Casual sex is a diet of chocolate--it tastes good for a while, but the imbalance can ruin you. Sex apart from God's plan wounds the soul.

Your body, God's temple. Respect it.

From
It's Not About Me
© (Thomas Nelson, 2007),
Max Lucado

Family-Times.net Daily Devotional

An exemplary people

July 6, 2009

I Thessalonians 1:6-I Thessalonians 1:8
Topics: Example

Illustration

Robert E. Lee sets the example

One Sunday morning in 1865, a black man entered a fashionable church in Richmond, Virginia. When Communion was served, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of resentment swept the congregation. How dare he! After all, believers in that church used the common cup. Suddenly a distinguished layman stood up, stepped forward to the altar, and knelt beside the black man. With Robert E. Lee setting the example, the rest of the congregation soon followed his lead. (Moody Bible Institute’s Today in the Word, September, 1991, p. 15).

Commentary

Despite severe suffering the Thessalonians had welcomed their message and became imitators of Paul and Silas (v. 6). The message of salvation, though welcomed with great joy brought the Thessalonians severe suffering because it led to persecution from both Jews and Gentiles (3:2-4). Often a new Christian first looks to other believers as his pattern, but then as he matures he realizes that Jesus Christ is his best model (I Peter 2:21). This is a good reason why we need to be very careful how we walk before others. When Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians, he said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1). What a challenge for every one of us who know the Lord!

The way we live affects not only how we communicate the truth but how others receive it and in turn what they do with it. The modeling process did not stop with Paul, Silas and Timothy but continued through the Thessalonian Christians. What they saw in these men’s lives was then exemplified to others (v. 7).

After commending these believers for being a good example, Paul shared the results. He said, “The Lord’s message “sounded out” from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia but your faith in God has become known every­where” (v. 8). The word sounded actually means to blast out like a trumpet. In fact the “Lord’s message” was so clear that Paul didn’t need to travel to other parts of the world to share the gospel.

Application

Could I honestly say to a new Christian, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ?"  I can be sure that others are watching my life and some may even be looking to me as a role model. The responsibility I have is awesome!

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An obvious change takes place

July 6, 2009

I Thessalonians 1:9-I Thessalonians 1:10
Topics: Example, Change

Illustration

An old woman gets on an elevator

AnA man from the back mountains of Tennessee found himself one day in a large city, for the first time standing outside an elevator. He watched as an old, haggard woman hobbled on, and the doors closed. A few minutes later the doors opened and a young, attractive woman marched smartly off. The father hollered to his youngest son, “Billy, go get mother.” (Source unknown).

Commentary

Paul makes three statements describing the change that took place in these new Thessalonian Christians:

1. They turned their back on idolatry (v. 9). Keep in mind that many of the initial converts were Jews but the church soon included large num­bers of Gen­tiles. Many of these Gentiles had been idol worshipers and had bowed down to false gods. Have you ever seen people bow down to idols? Several years ago I had the privilege of spending the summer in Mexico among Indian tribes. In one of these tribes every family had a “god house” in back of their mud hut. Inside they had a clay pot with an ugly face on the front. This was their god and they would go inside and bow down to it and cry out for favors. For someone to accept Christ and stop doing this would create a stir among the whole tribe. This is what it would have been like in Thessalonica.
2. They began to worship God (v. 9). In our culture, when we accept Christ, it may not even become obvious to those around us, unless we tell someone about it. However, in this Thessalonian culture, when people turned to Christ and forsook their pagan background it was a very obvious and dramatic change.
3. They looked for Christ’s return (v. 10). They not only turned from idolatry to serving the true God but they developed a great expectancy for the second coming of Christ.

All of us should respond to this Good News as the Thessalonians did. Their labor of love made them  a good example and an enthusiastic people as they lived the Word of God and shared the Gospel. Their patience of hope made them an expectant people, looking for the Saviour’s return.

Application

Just as the Thessalonians faith and loved confirmed their testimony to those around them, so should  my testimony exemplify the power of the Gospel to change lives.

Copyright © 2009, Family Times

YW e-devo: Does God Care?

Hey there!

I’d like to introduce you to a very cool person—Liz the rockin’ YW intern! You will be hearing from her in these little intro letters for the next few months—she’s going to serve as your e–devo tour guide. And let me tell you, you’re gonna be so blessed! She is the COOLEST!!

So, let me (Laurin) hand things over to my good friend and companion on this journey of knowing Jesus—Liz Cuenin (or Lizard as I like to call her) . . .

Hi there!

Happy July! I’m so excited to be able to walk with you the next few months and share this journey of growing closer to Jesus! This month we’re going to be looking into the desires we have and how they fit in with God’s plan for our lives. Does God care about what we want? How can we talk to Him about the stuff that we want? When we decided to follow God does that mean that we have to shelve what we want? If you’ve got dreams and things that light up your heart, you’ll want to tune in!

I hope you’re enjoying summer as much as I am! There is just something about summer that makes me want to spontaneously burst into song and dance. (Neither of which I do well!) However, since I usually don’t have enough guts to give into my theatrical tendencies, I leave the spontaneous song and dance moments to the fun people I find on the wonderful invention called YouTube! Check this video out for a great laugh! Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k

Have a great first week of July!

Liz
YW Intern

Here's this week's devo:

IF I WERE TO WRITE MY LIFE, I HAVE CERTAIN DREAMS ABOUT THE WAY IT WILL PLAY OUT—THINGS I WANT TO DO, WAYS I WANT TO LIVE. BUT WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF THESE DESIRES AND DREAMS OF MINE?

[READ]There are two ways a lot of us try to handle our desires. One is to assume that if we want something, then that desire must be wrong. We might assume that because Jesus told His disciples: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

The other extreme a lot of us take with our dreams and desires is that if we have a desire in our heart, then God must have planted it there because He wants us to be fulfilled. That approach assumes that all of our desires are good because Jesus said: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7).

But the truth about our desires lands somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

[THINK]When we decided to follow Jesus we laid down everything in our lives before Him. Romans 12:1 says we became living sacrifices, surrendering our lives—including our dreams and desires—to God. We gave Jesus free reign over our lives, to paint us like a blank canvas into any masterpiece He wants. That’s what having Jesus as Lord and Master of our lives looks like.

But does that mean that every single desire we ever have is wrong? Or not even wrong—maybe just not the same as God’s? Does that mean we spend the rest of our lives walking around as empty vessels with no interests and no passions anymore?

No, not at all. God doesn’t want us to be passionless and dreamless. The Bible tells us that God works through our desires. [God] fulfills the desires of those who fear him (Psalm 145:19). Even though we gave God free reign over our lives, handing over ourselves to Him, He gives a lot of our dreams and desires back to us because that’s the way He made us and put us together. God isn’t against our dreams and desires—some of the dreams and desires we have are from Him. And He enjoys fulfilling them.

[MORE]God cares about what we want, He just wants us to be willing to offer our desires up to Him so He can work through us without a bunch of obstacles in the way. Sometimes the Holy Spirit actually works through us by changing and moving our hearts—our desires. But if we have a strangle–hold on them, we close ourselves off to God redirecting and guiding us to the good things—the better things—He wants to lead us to. Sadly, some people deny the interests, gifts, talents, and passions that God put inside of them because they think they’re supposed to “deny themselves.” What happens is that they keep dismissing God every time He tries to work through their desires because they assume their desires aren’t from Him.

[LIVE]How do you think about your desires? Do you see them as things you need to crucify? Or do you just follow them wherever they lead without talking to God about them? Avoid both extremes. Don’t write off everything you want as ungodly. But don’t give your desires a blank check in your life either. Ask God to help you recognize the desires that don’t come from Him and to plant the ones that do more deeply in your heart.

[NXT LVL]Read Proverbs 10:24. And listen to Jeremy Camp’s song “Empty Me” from his album Live Unplugged.

HAVING A PERFECT HEART

Do you know it is possible to walk before the Lord with a perfect heart? If you are hungering for Jesus, you may already be trying—desiring earnestly—to obey this command of the Lord.

I want to encourage you: it is possible or God would not have given us such a call. Having a perfect heart has been part of the life of faith from the time God first spoke to Abraham: “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1).

In the Old Testament we see that some succeeded. David for instance, determined in his heart to obey God’s command to be perfect.  He said, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way…I will walk within my house with a perfect heart” (Psalm 101:2).

To come to grips with the idea of perfection, we first must understand that perfection does not mean a sinless, flawless existence. No, perfection in the Lord’s eyes means something entirely different. It means completeness, maturity.

The Hebrew and Greek meanings of perfection include “uprightness, having neither spot nor blemish, being totally obedient.” It means to finish what has been started, to make a complete performance. John Wesley called this concept of perfection “constant obedience.” That is, a perfect heart is a responsive heart, one that answers quickly and totally all the Lord’s wooing, whisperings and warnings. Such a heart says at all times, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Show me the path, and I will walk in it.”

The perfect heart cries out with David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me” (Psalm 139:23–24).

God does indeed search our hearts; he said as much to Jeremiah: “I the Lord search the heart” (Jeremiah 17:10). The Hebrew meaning for this phrase is, “I penetrate, I examine deeply.”

The perfect heart wants the Holy Spirit to come and search out the innermost man, to shine into all hidden parts—to investigate, expose and dig out all that is unlike Christ. Those who hide a secret sin, however, do not want to be convicted, searched or probed.

The perfect heart yearns for more than security or a covering for sin. It seeks to be in God’s presence always, to dwell in communion. Communion means talking with the Lord, sharing sweet fellowship with him, seeking his face and knowing his presence.

The Lord’s heart-searching is not vindictive, but redemptive. His purpose is not to catch us in sin or condemn us, but rather to prepare us to come into his holy presence as clean pure vessels.

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My Salvation is About Him by Max Lucado

Who would look at the cross of Christ and say, "Great work, Jesus. Sorry you couldn't finish it, but I'll take up the slack."? Dare we question the crowning work of God? Dare we think heaven needs our help in saving us? Legalism discounts God and in the process makes a mess out of us. To anyone attempting to earn heaven, Paul asks, "How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ....What has happened to all your joy?" (Galatians 4:19, 15 NIV). Legalism is joyless because legalism is endless. There is always another class to attend, person to teach, mouth to feed. Inmates incarcerated in self-salvation find work but never joy. How could they? They never know when they are finished. Legalism leaches joy. Grace, however, dispenses peace. The Christian trusts a finished work. Grace offers rest. Legalism never does. Then why do we embrace it? "Those who trust in themselves are foolish" (Proverbs 28:26 NCV). Why do we trust in ourselves? Why do we add to God's finished work? But the truth is, we don't. If we think we do, we have missed the message. "What is left for us to brag about?" Paul wonders (Romans 3:27 CEV). What is there indeed? What have you contributed? Aside from your admission of utter decadence, I can't think of a thing. "By his doing you are in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:30). Salvation glorifies the Savior, not the saved. Your salvation showcases God's mercy. It makes nothing of your effort but everything of his. "I--yes, I alone--am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again" (Isaiah, 43:25, emphasis mine). Can you add anything to this salvation? No. The work is finished. Can you earn this salvation? No. Don't dishonor God by trying. Dare we boast about this salvation? By no means. The giver of bread, not the beggar, deserves praise. "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31). It's not about what we do; it's all about what he does. From It's Not About Me © (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Max Lucado