Use your body for God’s purposes. This is what Paul tells the believers in Rome. Romans 6: 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.[1]
Why would I want to do that? And how exactly can that happen? First, know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit as a believer. 1 Corinthians 6: 19 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, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.[2]
Our bodies are a gift from God, and as such, He desires that we use the members of our bodies to build His kingdom and to bring Him glory. Let’s look at some examples, both positive and negative.
A Body Used for a Sinful Purpose
There are many examples of this in Scripture, but let’s look at King David as he committed adultery with Bathsheba. If you aren’t familiar with this story, it is in 2 Samuel 11-12. David’s eyes lusted after Uriah’s wife. Uriah was one of his best officers and was out fighting a war. David not only impregnated Bathsheba, but his mind conceived of a plot to eliminate Uriah. His hand signed an order to carry out the plan.
After David admitted his sin, he wrote Psalm 51 as a confession. “As you read Psalm 51, you see that his whole body was affected by sin: his eyes (Ps. 51:3), mind (Ps. 51:6), ears (Ps. 51:8), heart (Ps. 51:10), and lips and mouth (Ps. 51:14–15). No wonder he prayed for a thorough cleansing! (Ps. 51:2)”[3]
Use Your Body to Serve God
Here is a short list of how some people served God with their physical bodies.
- Moses’ arm held the staff that conquered Egypt.
- David’s hand set off the stone from the sling to kill Goliath.
- The ears of the prophets heard God’s message, and their mouths spoke it to the people.
- The feet of Paul carried him from town to town as his mouth proclaimed the Gospel.
- The Apostle John saw and heard a vision from God, and his fingers wrote it down.
There are many more examples in Scripture. But these give us a good practical way to use the bodies that God has given us to serve Him. Where and how is God asking you to serve Him to build His kingdom? To learn more about how to use your body for God’s purposes, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/believe-which-master
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 533). Victor Books.