PRAY: Father, as I listen for your direction today, please show me your will that I may make it my own. Let my thoughts be your thoughts.
READ: 1 Corinthians 6:12–20
MEDITATE:
Sexual acts have both physical and spiritual consequences. Consequences can be beneficial or destructive. Within the bonds of a godly marriage, physical intimacy has the potential to bring the husband and the wife together spiritually, the benefits of the body girding up the heart. The unified household enjoys all the blessings of God’s ultimate metaphor for the relationship of Christ and the church, while the divided household struggles to find a shred of common ground between the two parties. So it is with our relationship with the Lord. The way we treat our bodies has a direct effect on our relationship with the Lord. Sexual immorality in the life of the believer places him or her in direct conflict with the believer’s call to holiness.
Questions and Application:
- What does this passage say?
- What does this passage mean?
- How do the principles of interconnectedness of body and spirit apply to the crisis in the church?
- What do you think are the long-term consequences of sexual immorality within the church in terms of our ability to honor God with our bodies?
- Speaking corporately, can the church honor or bring dishonor to God with her body (i.e., with her members)?
PRAY: Father, remind us daily that although certain behaviors may seem innocent on the surface, their spiritual consequences can be greater then we could imagine. Help us to know when we are doing harm to you with our bodies.