Click on the image or the link or
Copy and paste the link into your browser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsiS5ysiOMw
or search YouTube for 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
Your Body
Is a Temple – John Piper (12 minutes)
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are
profitable. -- Yet the body is not for
immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but
will also raise us up through His power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ
and make them members of a harlot? May
it never be!
Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a
harlot is one body with her? For He
says, ‘The two will become one flesh.’
But the one who himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside
the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your
own? For you have been bought with a
price; therefore, glorify God in your body.” I Corinthians 6:12-20
You and I represent God’s holiness on earth to those around
us. He calls us to be holy. God’s holiness is why there is such a huge,
unbridgeable gap between Him and people.
Think of when Moses heard God telling him to ‘remove your sandals because
you are standing on holy ground’? God’s
holiness transformed the Most Holy Place of the Old Testament temple, forbidden
ground.
When Jesus came, He came to change things -- especially a
way to bridge the gap between our sinfulness and God’s holiness earned by His
death and resurrection. When you choose
to rely solely on His gracious gift, the Holy Spirit comes to live within you --
as imperfect as you are.
The great mystery and wonder you should feel is that the Spirit
of God within you respects your freedom.
The Holy Spirit in effect ‘subjects Himself’ to how you choose to live your
life as a Christian. You can lie to, grieve,
or quench His work in your heart. And
when you choose not to listen to Him leading you and go your own way, you literally
subject God to your wrong choices.
Take care, your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene (who
prays for you each morning).
PPS: My statement of
faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (also you will find a series of beginner
Bible studies there.). Also, you can find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing
a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.
(Also, there is an android ‘Goggle Blogger’ app you can download to read
them on your phone.)
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS
·
Elizabeth G – her
Dad, now in palliative care is not expected to live much longer. Thankfully, Elizabeth is with him now.
·
Patti – has
injured her shoulder and is severe pain.
She will be having an MRI to discover the source of the pain. Pray for her as she waits for the appointment
and for her beloved husband, John, who is having to do all the things Patti
usually does. Pray for her health care
providers and that the Lord will hold her through this time in a special way.
·
Hans –
a dear friend in Germany, with cancer has been having serious heart pain for
the last two days. His monthly
immunotherapy was scheduled for tomorrow.
The doctor decided to try to manage the pain until he goes to the
hospital when they can investigate the source.
Pray for strength through the pain and God’s mercy. Continue to pray for his healthcare
providers, his patience and wisdom. Pray
he is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will support
him through this journey. Pray for his
Mom (age 83) who is unwell herself, that their time together will be filled
with extraordinary good memories and lots of love.
·
Isaias and Judith
(Ambassadors for Christ the Philippines) – the Philippines has been
devastated by constant batterings from typhoons. Their ministry (new website: https://afcph.org/
) faces many challenges. Many of their leadership
group and groups of believers have lost everything, including worship centres. China’s threat grows. Pray for the leaders, administrators, workers
and teachers. Pray our Father keep these
servants strong, in good health, safe and supported and that they keep a
balance in their lives. They need funds badly now. Go to the website or send
encouragement to Isaias Catorce at icatorce@gmail.com
·
My brother, Tim – just received a new bi-pap machine and is already
seeing benefits. Pray for his continued
wisdom and patience in managing his COPD (chronic-obstructive pulmonary
disease) and arthritis. Pray his doctors
are attentive, wise and compassionate.
Pray for Barb, his wife for her strength and compassion. Continue to grow their faith so they can
share Christ with others.
·
USA – Pray the Lord will demonstrate His power in
unexpected and uniting ways during these times of unrest and confusion. Help hearts settle and rest in Him
alone. Let the truth of God’s Word and
ways overcome the drive to destroy our founding, Bible-based values. For Christ-centre, Bible-based revival in the
USA and religious freedom for Christians wherever they may be.
·
J&R – recently
had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with them and would appreciate prayers
that God uses His words in their hearts to draw them to Him for Eternity!
·
Kevin and Sandy
Currel - (in Melbourne) Kevin has a wonderful ministry in teaching
through images and words and has created many Christian resources. (To learn more: https://www.kevincurrell.com/
). He just had another procedure, which looks good and will have the results
next week. Please continue to pray for
him, especially that God will supply the funds needed for this extraordinary
time.
·
Peyton
- eldest granddaughter of Jeff and Rachael.
Pray for this lovely woman of God as she goes off to college, that she
remains safe and strong in her beliefs and convictions and continues to
encourage many with her loving faithfulness to the Lord.
·
Tracey –
slowly healing from a fall where she broke four ribs. Pray she will be patient and that the pain
will be easily managed.
·
USA President
Donald Trump – As Christians it
is our responsibility to pray for our leaders and trust that God has a plan for
the USA through this man. If you
doubt the importance of his appointment, just look at the baseless antagonism
against him. Surely Satan is NOT happy and means to thwart God’s plan. Pray someone helps President Trump and Melania understand the true meaning of a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Pray they will both have an insatiable hunger to read God’s Word for
themselves. Pray God sends a
Bible-Believing Christian to regularly disciple them in the Truth. Pray God shuts the mouths of the false
prophets who regularly circle around them.
Pray for those in full-time service
Pray to uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word, are bold and courageous in the face of evil. Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.
Pray for those with ongoing health concerns
Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health. Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.
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