28 SEP 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Cor. 6: 19-20
During a training class this week, I heard an interesting quote from Victor Frankl. He said, “I recommend that the Statue of Liberty be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.” We like our freedoms in America and people are drawn to this country because of it. We are also hated for having these freedoms. The truth is, freedom is never free. It cost the United States a great deal of blood and sacrifice to achieve it and also to maintain it.
Those freedoms are limited though. We are not autonomous and there are responsibilities attached to them. The Apostle Paul reached a people who were far from God, lost, and slaves to sin. They had free will, as far as to freely choose any sins they wished, but they were spiritually blind and dead. When the Gospel was preached to them, the Holy Spirit gave them eyes to see, ears to hear, and a new heart to receive Jesus.
They became free from the bondage of sin and death, but that did not mean they were free to themselves. God purchased them. What is described in the verses above is slaves being bought. The people were not set free to do as they pleased, but free to be all that God had planned for them to be. Believers have a new Master, which is Christ. Paul himself states this in many of his greetings to the churches: Paul a slave of Christ. He understood he was not his own.
The bodies and souls of believers belong to Jesus and the Holy Spirit takes up residence within. Our solemn duty is to honor God with our body and to live in a manner that glorifies Him. We have freedom in Christ to do the works that please Him and are given responsibilities that He expects us to upheld.
Are you living like you are free “from” Jesus or free “in”Jesus?
Reading Plan: Psalm 34; 2 Kings. 9:1-16; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; Matt. 6:16-18
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