You are not your own...

Verse for the week: “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1.17

Prayer for the week: “Almighty God, loving Father, you govern all things in heaven and earth and make all things new through your almighty word.  Transform our sinful nature and all our doings by the power of your Holy Spirit, that we may please you and attain perfect joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. (Otto Schlisske, Christliche Unterweisung im Jahr der Kirche (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1949), p.99 )

Bible reading for the day:  I Corinthians 6.12-20 (Paul wrote I Corinthians in 54 or 55AD, during his third missionary journey. The slogan “All things are lawful for me” was in common use by the Corinthian congregation. Paul writes to correct their thinking and behavior and to tell them that the freedom God grants them in Christ is for glorifying God, not their own desires.)

¹² “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Lord, thank you that our bodies are not our own… that we belong body & soul to you.  Repent me and my brothers and sisters of using our bodies in any way that is outside your will, whether it is over-indulgence or in the most costly way: sexual immorality. Send your word & Holy Spirit to our ears and hearts in such a way that we glorify you in our bodies.  I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved, classic hymn which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcNLvufzbz0

The Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20.14)

What does this mean for us?  We should fear and love God so that in matters of sex we are chaste and disciplined in our words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction: The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  (Romans 15.13)

 

  

*The T.R.I.P. approach to prayer is based on the way Martin Luther prayed and taught others to pray.  It was later developed by Walter and Ingrid Trobisch and then adapted by Mount Carmel Ministries (Alexandria, MN).  The method is founded on scripture and easy to remember:
T: thanksgiving
R: regret (repentance)
I: intercession (asking God to take a specific action)
P: plan or purpose
Reading a biblical text and then applying this method gives one a sound, simple way to form one’s prayers...not to mention that it helps one learn how to faithfully reflect on God’s Word and talk to God.