stay

^17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. ^

^24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

 

How many times have you and I prayed for God to changes our circumstances or our situations.  Far too often we want to think that our current life is not what God called us to do.  Whether it is our career, relationship status, financial status, or whatever current scenario we find ourselves in, we often are asking and pleading with God to change it, make it better, or undo what has been done.  Maybe, just maybe, God is going to use you as the “change agent”.  Maybe God is going to use you to help someone in the future who is going through and exact same thing you are.  Maybe God is trying to grow you.

 No matter what your current situation is maybe the better prayer is not “Please God change the circumstance”, but “Please God show me how You are going to use this”.  God doesn’t always save us and move us (sometimes He does, like being a missionary), often times He uses us right where we are.  He uses us in our workplace, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our communities, in our churches, and in our families.

 Remember we are responsible to God, not man, so allow Him to use you in your current situation (whatever it may be).

Hello, I am a people pleaser

^3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ^4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

 

Many of us suffer from a disease known as “people pleasing”.  Why is it that we try so hard to please others, why is it that we seek the approval of others so much.  When it comes down to it, what others think, do, or say really doesn’t matter.  I wish I could get to a point like Paul does in verse 3 “I care very little what you think”.  What you and I need to boil it down to is being able to end every day with our conscience clear.  At the end of every day we commune with God and allow Him to point out things in our lives that we need to work on.  When it is all said and done, it is only God’s opinion (or judgment) that matters.

 

I had an instructor once tell me that “you can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time”.  There is so much truth in this statement.  I spend so much of my time, and you may too, trying to make some people happy that will never be happy with anything I, or you do.  It will not change their opinion of me.

 

People do not decide our final destination or our plan and purpose for this life.  Only God does.  If you struggle with “people pleasing”, the above verse is for you (and quite honestly me).  I was put on this earth to serve and please an audience of one, and His name is Jesus.

 

Hello, my name is Chris and I am a recovering people pleaser.

I am the temple

^16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? ^17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

 

The temple is the local church, but surely the local church as the local manifestation of one true temple of God, the Church Invisible, composed of all true believers in Christ (Wycliffe)

 

Often, too often, we get so caught up on the church being the “building”, but reality is the church is not the building physically, but the people.  If it wasn’t for the people, there would be no church.  However, this is not what I want to focus on today.

 

The practical application of these verses is that I am the temple.  Me.  We focus a lot on taking care of the physical temple (the church), but what about me as the temple, am I taking care of me.  Am I taking care of myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  I have struggled with my weight for ever.  For as long as I can remember I have always been soft in the middle, felt insecure about my waist.  I have been feeling really self-conscience lately.  I took up running/jogging nearly 5 years ago to try and help.  I enjoy the running but apparently it is just not enough.  My doctor has been on me for two years about dropping weight.  When she first got on me about it, I did. I dropped 15 pounds in a couple of months, and felt really good.  Now here I am gained it all back, and then some.

 

As I read these verses this morning, that last part where Paul blatantly writes “you are that temple” struck me pretty hard.  I am the temple and I want God to be in this temple, I want this temple to be around for awhile.

 

I don’t make “new years resolutions”, I don’t believe in them.  Let’s face it most people don’t stick to them.  I don’t need to make a resolution, I need to make a life change.  Here is the change I need to make, to eat better.  To put better stuff in my system so I can run harder, longer, and faster.  I want this temple to be tip top shape.  I don’t want to be skinny, I just want to be healthy.  Maybe this verse is what I needed to put me over the edge and help me to get serious.

 

I have gotten better at taking care of this temple emotionally and spiritually, but now I need to focus on physically.  I pray this journey begins today, and that this is not just a passing phase or new year idea, but a real life change.  Please God grant me the strength and ability to deal with my craving for food, specifically sweets.