You Are Not Your Ownfeatured

Our culture is making a huge shift in focus as to how we view ourselves. The new mantra that seems to flow with ease throughout all generations is “my body my choice”, I have the freedom to do whatever or be whoever I want and you can’t tell me otherwise. This is not a true however because you are not your own.

Imagine if your job title is a hygienist. Are you there with me in your imagination, sitting beside the dentist as he drills out someone’s cavity? You are passing the tools necessary to do the job. Now imagine that in that moment you decide you are going to be the dentist. You jump up from your side of the chair, grab the tools and start working away in the patience mouth. What would happen in that situation? Could you pull off doing what the dentist was doing? What would happen to the roles of all the others working in the office if you decided you were going to be the dentist? I bet the whole flow of the office would start to implode as arguments break out among the other employees, patients get upset because you are not giving them a good service, the dentist fires you for stepping out of your role. Total chaos!

I know this example seems a little preposterous but the reality is, this is what’s happening in our culture. We have decided that we want to be able to do whatever we want with no accountability. If it feels good for me then by golly I’m gonna do it.

The Reality

The truth however, is something quite different, you are not your own. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ” Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body.”

But what does this mean? How do we deny ourselves and take up our cross (Luke 9:23)? I believe that God has laid out for us what this should look like in His word.

Galatians 5:16-26

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (our flesh). For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

He is laying out for us the what-not-to-dos. If you see in your life any of the things above, which I imagine we can all say yes to something in that list, we are letting our flesh win the day, our own selfish desires are winning.

He continues by giving us a road map of sorts as to what our lives should look like. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

What Does Your Life Look Like?

How do you show up every day? Do you see characteristics of the sinful nature (the flesh) or of the Spirit? Do you notice anger or love, depression or joy, impatience or patience? I know it is hard at times to die to self, Paul actually puts it really nicely in Romans 7:15, 21-25, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…. So I find this law at work; When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man am I! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Our only hope is through Jesus Christ! Through His forgiveness we have hope, through the fruits of the Holy Spirit that take root in us and grow as we grow in Christ we have hope to see our sinful nature die off.

It takes effort though, it takes awareness on our part to be intentional on how we show up, what characteristics we allow to be displayed in our day-to-day life.

Do you choose to not be your own, to die to self and live for Him?

Prayer,

Wonderful Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for the understanding knowledge that it is not by anything that we do that gives us forgiveness but is solely through the sacrificial death of your son Jesus Christ! Thank you also for the gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us that helps us walk out a life for you. Please, help us to continue to die to our sinful nature, please make us aware of the moments that we fail and help us to have the courage and strength to pick ourselves back up and try again! Help us to listen to the Holy Spirit who speaks to us in these moments giving us a way out, help us to choose you every time!

In Jesus name,

Amen