My Body is About Him

by Max Lucado

“Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT). Paul wrote these words to counter the Corinthian sex obsession. “Run away from sexual sin!” reads the prior sentence. “No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” (v.18 NLT).

What a salmon scripture! No message swims more up-stream than this one. You know the sexual anthem of our day: “I’ll do what I want. It’s my body.” God’s firm response? “No, it’s not. It’s mine.”

Be quick to understand, God is not anti-sex. Dismiss any notion that God is anti-affection and anti-intercourse. After all, he developed the whole package. Sex was his idea. From his perspective, sex is nothing short of holy.

He views sexual intimacy the way I view our family Bible. Passed down from my father’s side, the volume is one hundred years old and twelve inches thick. Replete with lithographs, scribblings, and a family tree, it is, in my estimation, beyond value. Hence, I use it carefully.
When I need a stepstool, I don’t reach for the Bible. If the foot of my bed breaks, I don’t use the family Bible as a prop. When we need old paper for wrapping, we don’t rip a sheet out of this book. We reserve the heirloom for special times and keep it in a chosen place.

Regard sex the same way—as a holy gift to be opened in a special place at special times. The special place is marriage, and the time is with your spouse.

Casual sex, intimacy outside of marriage, pulls the Corinthian ploy. It pretends we can give the body and not affect the soul. We can’t. We humans are so intricately psychosomatic that whatever touches the soma impacts the phyche as well. The me-centered phrase “as long as no one gets hurt” sounds noble, but the truth is, we don’t know who gets hurt. God-centered thinking rescues us from the sex we thought would make us happy. You may think your dalliances are harmless, and years may pass before the x-rays reveal the internal damage, but don’t be fooled. Casual sex is a diet of chocolate—it tastes good for a while, but the imbalance can ruin you. Sex apart from God’s plan wounds the soul.

Your body, God’s temple. Respect it.

The last couple weeks have been SO busy. You would think with Cole not doing a spring sport it would slow down but think again! Then this week is Prom decorating, Post Prom chaperoning etc... I am tired just thinking about it.

Yesterday after a great church service at Victory Temple in Jasper, Ed told me I could stay home to rest while he went and got Cole. So, I put my jammies on and got in the recliner and watched a "Undercover Boss" marathon. That shows gets me everytime! I just kept watching though. I like to see those kind of shows where people that don't usually get recognized or appreciated for their work are shown just how much what they do means when someone takes the time to put themselves in their shoes. What if we all gave everyone that same consideration?

Instead of jumping to conclusions, or thinking someone is intentionally trying to aggravate you why not take a step back and really try to see the big picture?

That is what my goal is this week, to meet people right where they are at and to put away the judgement. Join me?

Murder begins in your heart

Murder Begins in the Heart
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.


I have been thinking on this a lot lately and actually made mention of it to David Myers this weekend. We tend to categorize sins on a list from the BIG ones to the little ones, as silly as it sounds we all do it. We look at someone who murders another as someone we wouldn't associate with but it clearly says in scripture that when we harbor anger in our hearts toward others we are guilty of murder.

WHOA now! I am not a murderer.... or am I? The answer to that would have to be yes because I do harbor anger toward people. The main goal for me this year has been to see people how Jesus sees them and while this isn't always easy if we can get in that practice it makes people more attractive to us. I have been guilty in the past of keeping people at arms length so that I don't get hurt because let's be honest we are human, and as much as we don't want to hurt people or get hurt it is inevitable that it will happen. That is one reason that forgiveness is essential to our daily lives.

We can't hold people at arm's length forever. We are called to reach out and GO, that involves risk but the risk is so worth it.

Get out of the boat

Okay so today I turn on the radio which I rarely do at work and I listen to family life today they had Priscilla Scheier on there teaching out of Judges chapter 7 which I've been studying judges and them she was talking about Gideon and how God dwindled down his army. I went on to read a little more, and actually before God dwindled down his army he threw a fleece out and asked God to show him what to do and then God gave an answer and you know story Gideon throws a fleece out again and God was patient with him because he is reassuring him of what was to happen.

From there she quoted Christine Caine and I really enjoy listening to Christine Caine and so I thought well I'm going to go look at this quote on the Internet so I can post to my Facebook and lo and behold what did I find... I found that Christine Caine is the founder of A21 campaign which is a campaign I've been following that is combating human trafficking, which if you know me is huge passion of mine I didn't know that she was the founder of that so from there I went to her blog and what was the title of today's??? Getting out of the boat. I was BLOWN away for the reason that God had really been laying that phrase "get out of the boat" on my heart for so many months now, dating back all the way to March but I haven't heard it the last couple of months and so the phrase "get out of the boat" has so much more of a meaning to me now after what I saw in Africa and the human trafficking that happens on Lake Volta.

Then I was reminded how when I was a IHOP earlier this year, I was in the prophecy room and a guy prophesied over me about a boat and rotors and he wasn't really quite sure what that meant but I do! I need to go back and find that because I recorded it and see what the meaning God has for my life right now.

I LOVE the way God reminds us that He is in charge and has a plan.

Find Your Mark meeting Tuesday, November 22 at LUMC at 7:00!