Do you honor God with your body? Do you know it is His? 1 Corinthians 6-8

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASBStr)

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.

Paul starts out this chapter telling us not to take disagreements we have with other brothers before the natural law courts.   He is not telling us that the legal system is corrupt but that two believers, who disagree, ought to be able find a believing brother who can assists in the dispute.   That argument and issue launches him into the very debate of what we do with our bodies.   Just as we ought not to hurt our brother in Christ (because he is "IN CHRIST" with us) we ought not to hurt our own bodies.   Why?  Because these are not our own bodies.   These bodies we dress, groom, pamper and exalt actually are not ours and they are not permanent.   In Paul's argument in the chapter he tells us that those who use their bodies for adultery or idolatry or homosexuality will not inherit the Kingdom of God.   He wants us to know that the actions of our bodies reveal the content of our hearts.   Those who have come to Christ for forgiveness have, at the same time, acknowledged Christ as Lord.   The term Lord in God's Word means He has the authority.   As a result of that coming to Christ our bodies are now temples that He dwells in through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.   The Holy Spirit dwelling in me is the reason I can do anything for God ... anything righteous for God.   The Spirit is the indwelling Person of Power that gives me the ability to exalt Christ.   My body, soul and spirit were purchased by the blood of Christ.   That means I am to take care of my body.   Believers will often condemn those who do drugs, or smoke or drink for the "sinful" nature of it.   However, if you attend any church on any given Sunday the obesity among Christians rages on.   We seem to think it is wrong to do drugs and drink and smoke and okay to do pizza, ice cream and cake.   Laziness and unfitness is not a way to take care of the temple of Christ.   Our acknowledgement of Christ as Lord and of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is also an obligation to assure that our temples are fit for Him.  But, the key is fit for HIM.  We might admire our bodies in the mirror but when we remember that this is not our body, but His, we should have a new perspective as to what we are doing with it.