By Nancy Campbell on Saturday, 22 April 2017
Category: Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

YOUR BODY IS NOT YOUR OWN

1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 says: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and YE ARE NOT YOUR OWN. For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Do we really believe these words? I’m not sure. It seems that many women do not believe their bodies belong to God. They believe they own their own bodies and should do with them as they like. However, the Scripture tells us that God our Creator owns our bodies. He owns them by creation and by redemption. Revelation 4:11 says: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

God created everything for His pleasure and glory, which includes our bodies. Therefore, this means every part of our body—our ears to be dedicated to hearing His voice, our mouth to proclaim His truths, our eyes to turn from evil and behold His face, our hands, and feet to reach out with love, nurture, and serving. And of course, our wombs, which God also created for His glory. How can we say, “Dear God, I yield my life totally to You and Your service? Except my womb. That’s mine and mine alone to determine how it is used.”

I think it is good to be reminded of what God says in His Word, don’t you? Take time to read the Scriptures. They are so much more powerful and important than anything I say. Let’s read:

Psalm 100:3: “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

Psalm 119:73: “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me.”

Psalm 139:14: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Isaiah 29:16: “Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?” Many translations say it clearer: “You turn things upside down.” In other words, you’ve got it all wrong.

Some other translations use the word “perverse” or “perversity.” The NET (New English Translation) says: “YOUR THINKING IS PERVERSE!” Should the potter be regarded as the clay? Should the thing made say about its maker, ‘He didn’t make me’? Or should the pottery say about the potter, ‘He doesn’t understand’?”

Two other very literal translations also use “perverse,” The Scriptures and the Young’s Literal Translation. I always like to check things out to see who is correct. Therefore, I went to the original Hebrew. The phrase in the King James Bible “surely your turning” is used only once in the Bible and the Hebrew word is “hophek,” meaning “perverse.” The exact word!

Some dictionary meanings of “perverse” are “contrary and willful, stubborn, obstinate, wayward, turned away from what is right and good.” It’s a strong word, isn’t it? We don’t want to be labeled with such a word, do we?

Isaiah 45;9: “Woe unto him that serveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth; Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? Or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?”

Isaiah 674:8: “O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”

Romans 9:20: “O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?”

The Scripture need no more comment.

Have a wonderful day,

Nancy Campbell

Picture: milyshares.blogspot.com/2011/02/maternity-photos.html