January 24, 2017 NOT OUR OWN
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
The truth presented in these two verses certainly run contrary to our culture; a culture where personal rights and freedoms are paramount. It is a blessing to live in a culture where we do have personal rights and where we do have freedom; however, in a subtle way the emphasis of ‘rights’ and being ‘free’ can become a stumbling block that causes us to overlook and miss-apply a major truth of scripture. The core of this cultural battle centers around the question of who rules our life; is it self-rule, or is it God rule. It is obvious that the one who does not know God is ruled by his own dictates and choices, and it is also obvious that the believer is not excused from the battle of who rules. It is clear in scripture that self and God cannot co-rule our life; either we are living according to self, or we are living according to God. When a believer lives according to self, he is living outside the plans of God and he is not blessed as God desires to bless. The paradox is that we enjoy ultimate freedom when we give up our ‘freedom’ and become slaves to Christ (Ephesians 6:6). Apart from God at work in us, man is limited, and even deceived when it comes to knowing and experiencing life as God designed. The good news for believers is that we have been purchased by a loving God, and the purchase price was the death of His Son. As believers, we are to realize, and be thankful for the fact that we are not our own, that we have been purchased by God and now we are a temple of God. Because we are not our own, the battle over who rules our lives is over, and now, we can live in the freedom of being the sons and daughters of God. Being owned by God, takes the weight off of us of trying to understand life and attempting to do everything in our own limited strength. Under His ownership, we can enjoy the blessings that accompany having a single focus in life, a focus of doing the things that please Him. We actually find rest and peace when we acknowledge that we or owned by God, who is our loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father. May we surrender what we perceive as our ‘rights’ and gladly proclaim that we are not our own, and not only proclaim it, but live in such a way that we demonstrate that we belong to Him.
Romans 14:8: “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed