OUR BODIES Devotion 3 of 15 The words of our Lord are appropriate at this point. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matt 6:25). These words are to be taken seriously! The foundation upon which they are built is this, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (verse 24). – Tomorrow:
" . . . Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body . . . Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? . . . Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:13-20, KJV).
In view of this reality, Jesus affirmed our bodies must not be our primary consideration. "The body," He asserts, "is MORE than clothing." While it is an essential part of our persons, the body is not our primary part! The major decisions in life are not to be made in view of "the body." To "the poor," clothing appeared a fundamental need, or principal necessity. To our society He would have said something like this. "The body is more than an insurance policy . . . a retirement plan . . . a secure job," etc.
It is staggering how much of the world's philosophy revolves around the body. We live in a time when physical fitness has superseded spiritual fitness. Calories, fat, and carbohydrates are emphasized more than spiritual understanding, joy in the Holy Spirit, and a peace that passes understanding. Contests have even been devised to determine who has the best body. But who has ever heard of one to determine who has the best spirit?
No believer needs to apologize for putting the spirit above body! Remember the words of our Lord Jesus, For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt 16:26).
In addition to this, because of the growing popularity of psychiatry and other forms of "science falsely so called," there is a growing tendency within the professed church to deal with sin by explaining it physiologically. Thus men account for sin by speaking of brain waves, sections of the brain that dominate, chemical dependence, male/female distinctions, hormonal fluctuations, and the likes. It all has an appearance of great wisdom. However, in matters pertaining to life and godliness, valid explanations and instructions are not centered in the body – the inferior part of man.
As elementary as this may appear, Satan has snared many a soul by focusing on the desires of "the body." This was one of the primary appeals of Satan to Eve. He enticed her to believe the forbidden fruit was "good for food" (Gen 3:6). The Tempter also made the same type of appeal to the Lord Jesus. "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matt 4:3). Who can forget the transgression of Esau, who sold his birthright in the preference for satisfying the body. "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright" (Heb 12:16). Undue attentiveness to the body will thrust one into the broad road that leads to destruction!
Giving preference to the body has led to bitter experiences, and often exclusion from the Lord Himself. Drunkenness, harlotry, fornication, adultery, sodomy, and gluttony – they are all the result of giving priority to the body! There are men in history who will testify to this truth – men that have fallen into the snare of giving supremacy to the desires of the body. Allow a consideration of their testimony to keep you from doing the same! David followed the desires of his body when he sinned with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:1-5). Samson did the same when he went in to the harlot of Gaza (Judges 16:1-5). We also have the example of Potiphar's wife (Gen 39:7-12), Eli's sons (1 Sam 2:22), and Amnon (2 Sam 13:1-13), who yielded to the perverse impulses of their bodies. Let no person fail to learn from these examples!
Life's deepest concerns extend beyond the body. The body itself is more than what is put upon it – or even the desires that are resident within it.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to subdue my body, so that it is not the most prominent part of my life.