Passage of the Day:
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b] 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[c] 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples 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 bodies, 1 Corinthians 6:15-20.
Reflection:
My oldest son James introduced me to the concept of cleansing your body. Earlier on in college, seeking to become a personal trainer, other classmates encouraged James to participate in a cleansing of his body. Nearly, a decade later, there are 15-day Gut Cleansing programs available online to refresh and detoxify all the unhealthy chemicals from your body. In today’s passage, the apostle Paul is referring to a spiritual cleansing of your body. Using the image that Christians are temple of the Holy Spirit, all Christians should partake in a weekly spiritual cleansing of your body.
Prayerful Action:
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God, 2 Corinthians 7:1.
Working Out Your Salvation:
As a former athlete, losing an event, game or match served as a wakeup call. Perhaps, winning had blinded me from current errors, imperfections and mistakes. The standard for Christians assessing their own spiritual lives should emulate that of the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15. The closer Paul got to the Lord, the more his own shortcomings were revealed by the Holy Spirit. Subsequently, the key to working out your salvation is avoiding spiritual apathy. The apostle Paul never woke up one morning and declared, “finally, I’ve arrived spiritually!” Rather, Paul urged first century Christians to press on each day to take hold of what God has called you to do, Philippians 3:12-14.
Song of the Day:
Some churches perform a congregation wide fast to begin each new year. Fasting and praying for 3 days is a great way to partake in a spiritual cleanse to provide clarity for God’s will for your life. As today’s song asks, come to Jesus to unload all that is weighing you down, Matthew 11:28-30.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 