by Beth Livingston
Certified Recovery Specialist
Jocelyn loves Jesus. She reads her Bible, goes to Bible study, prays, and goes to the clubs on the weekends. Sometimes she drinks a little. Other times she drinks a lot. She just likes having fun and doesn’t want to sit at home watching TV or being on the Internet. She wants to get out, meet people, and feel alive.
Marcelle is an automotive mechanic. He’s believed in Christ since he was a young boy. He helps out at the soup kitchen, prays and attends church from time to time, and in his spare time he gazes at porn on his computer. It excites him and he believes he’s not cheating on his wife, so he sees nothing wrong with it.
These are fictional characters, but certainly not unbelievable lifestyles. What do they represent? They are all part of the body of Christ and they depict the ailing condition of Christianity. They’re not all addicts, alcoholics, or people with behavior impulse control problems; although, some of them are. They are us.
We often forget that when we confessed our sins to Christ and believed in our hearts that God had raised Him from the dead, we invited Christ to live on the inside of us in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 10:9, Romans 8:10) We are walking tabernacles containing God’s Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:13-14) And how do we treat God’s Tabernacle? Basically, we treat it like it’s nothing special. We’re so flippant about the price Christ paid to redeem our souls that we do what pleases us, what excites us, and what corrupts us while counting on God’s grace to gloss over our sin.
Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-5 (NLT): And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
One of the most important phrases in this scripture is “LET GOD TRANSFORM YOU.” It applies to wayward Christians and believers who struggle with addictions and impulse behaviors. I ask you. I ask myself. When will we stop trashing God’s Tabernacle? When will we allow Him to truly be the Lord of our lives? He’s ready to transform us. He’s ready to cleanse the temple. He won’t do it without our permission and cooperation. That’s why the phrase begins with “LET.”
What are you willing to let God do with your life today? How about each day? May we be found LETTING God transform us until our earthly bodies, these tabernacles, are given up for eternal life in God’s Holy Presence.
Please share your thoughts and prayer requests.