Whose Body Is It Anyway?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or 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.

How would you feel if someone took something that you owned (one of your favorite things), and either threw it away, gave it away, or sold it, without your permission? I can't imagination any one of us would be very happy? Why? Because it was not theirs to do whatever they wanted to with it. Well, let me ask you a question. Why do we then do whatever we want with our body, when, as a born again believer, it belongs to God? We are often careless about what we do with, or where we take, our bodies, and what activities we involve them in. Some over eat (gluttony), drink too much (get drunk), smoke, get involved in inappropriate sexual relationships, and all the while are ready to criticize anyone who violates God's Word in some other fashion. How are we any different if we do some of the harmful things we do to our bodies? If we truly believe that we belong to Jesus, why would we not take care, and be good stewards of the body God blessed us with. I understand that sometimes, our bodies breakdown as we age, but how do we excuse them breaking down because of our lack of care? As Christians, it is important that we maintain a good quality of life, by taking care of our bodies, to the best of our ability, so that we can serve the Lord, for as long as He allows us to remain here on earth. The bottom line is that we can glorify Him, not just with our word, attitudes, and actions; but we can also glorify Him by the way we care for the Holy Spirit's dwelling place, His temple, our body. By the way, if you are married, that's a double hit. The Word of God tells us that not only does our body belong to Him, but also belongs to our spouse. So the next time we are going to do something with our body, we need to stop, and ask, "Will this dishonor, or affect my relationship with God or my spouse negatively?" If so, then you have your answer. Whether we drink or eat, or whatever we do, we must do it to the glory of God.