OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY APRIL 30TH, 2024.
THEME: HE CARES ABOUT YOUR BODY
MEMORISE:
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your Own?
1 Corinthians 6:19
READ: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
MESSAGE
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
The above passage tells us clearly that God wants your spirit, soul, and body to be preserved blameless until His coming. This is opposed to what many people say about God only caring about our spirit and soul, and not our body. God cares about your body, and He wants it to be blameless. He cares about what you wear (1 Timothy 2:9), how you use your body (1 Corinthians 9:27), and if you get a tattoo or not (Leviticus 19:28). He cares as much about your body as He cares about your soul.
The truth is, the state of your soul will determine the state of your body. What is inside will show on the outside. Many years ago, l invited some ministers to teach at The Redeemed Christian Bible College. They told the students that I was too legalistic by placing restrictions on how they use their bodies, and that God only cares about the soul. By the time I got back to the class, the students had believed the people I invited. I needed to convince them otherwise, so l went to get two oranges. One orange was yellow, and the other was green. I raised both oranges up in the class and asked, "Which of these two oranges is ripe?" They all pointed at the yellow one. I asked again, "How did you know?" They said it was obvious from the outside that it was ripe on the inside. With that, I told them, "If Christ that you claim to have on your inside is not showing on the outside, it is likely that you do not have Christ in the first place."
Whether we like it or not, people look at your outward appearance and make conclusions about Christianity based on what they see you do with your body. If you look like the people of the world, they will believe that you are just like them and that there is nothing special about you. They will not listen to the gospel you are preaching if you are dressed like a harlot or a hooligan. Don’t make someone turn away from the gospel because of your Outward appearance, keep your body blameless.
REFLECTION
Can people tell that you are born again just by looking at you?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Chronicles 7-9
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 7: I AM THINE O LORD
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Amen and Amen🙏🙌
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