“Whoever Is United With The Lord Is One With Him In Spirit”

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Paul wrote to his believers who were tempted to solicit pagan temple prostitutes, telling them to “flee from sexual immorality.” Sometimes we are to stand firm” in challenging circumstances, but here the Bible practically shouts our best defense. “Run always!”

Immediate action guards against compromise. Small compromises can lead to devastating defeats. An unrestrained thought, a glance in the wrong place on the internet, a flirting friendship when you’re already married – each are steps that take us where we shouldn’t go and put distance between us and God.

When we flee temptation, God also provides a place to run. Through Jesus’s death on the cross for our sins, He offers us hope, forgiveness, and a new beginning – no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. When we run to Jesus in our weakness, He sets us free to live in His strength.

God alone can meet our deepest needs and give us soul deep satisfaction.

Our Daily Bread – February 17, 2018