Welcome!
Today: The fact of God’s ownership!
Passage: 1 Cor 6
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body (1 Cor 6, NIV 84) –emphasis added
As man became technologically advanced, he also became more selfish and not depending on God. We have come to a place where we are too independent that we cut-off almost all relationships in life
Starting with God, it spreads to the family, then church, work and so on
Many have fallen in love with loneliness. A dog or a gadget is their best buddy!
We, “the human robots”, don’t care what is happening around us; we have no time!
Our conscience is dead long time back. We think and act like our “fellow robots”!
When we see people who don’t smile or cry when you smile or cry, when people don’t care as others go through troubles and struggles, when everything is about “me” and me alone, there is no other/ better name that fits us, but “robot”!
What God/His word says, has been replaced by what people say. Someone says/does something and we make it our model (?) And then, as we struggle, they laugh at us!
God paid a huge price to get us back. He didn’t pay it to satan. Jesus fulfilled the requirement on the cross before the father, the judge of all judges!
There is no force or pressure on us to submit to God, because we are not slaves but sons/daughters of God. It is on us to submit or not!
Biblical submission is voluntary and it comes out of love. A true Christian enjoys being submissive while enjoying the freedom in God.
If anyone submits to us, they should enjoy the same type of freedom, which we receive from God
In the triune God, we see the best example of mutual love and submission. Jesus always submitted to the father and was in full agreement with the Holy Spirit
Jesus showed us the example. He Himself became the most surrendered one the world has ever seen. Can He (not) plead to us to submit ourselves to Him?
See the language Paul uses, when he asks us to submit our bodies to God:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom 12, NKJV)-emphasis added
It is a language of pleading/urging, not commanding
It is upto us to do whatever we want to do with our body, because we are the one who pay the bill/penalty. God, (not our friends) will tell us how much the bill is!
Living a life of submission is not easy, but possible. We usually look at sin the way others look at it. We need to look at sin as Jesus looks at it – serious, not light!
May God help us and bless us, to live a life pleasing to God
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I need your help to make it to heaven. Many a time, I am tempted to look at sin as others look at it. That makes life difficult. I don’t want to live a double-standard life. Help me to live a life that pleases you; Amen
When we are not in love with Jesus, it is not easy to stay away from sin