“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” 1 Cor. 3:16-20
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
I have a few friends that keep asking me what God says about smoking pot. Personally, I find humor in the fact that they ask me—they should be asking God Himself. Interestingly, there are no Bible verses that mention pot.
Many of my well-intentioned buddies feel like this gives them a legal “loophole”. Because it is not specifically addressed in the Bible, they argue that it gives them carte blanche to break the law and indulge in whatever feels good for them right now.
Take a moment to think about how much God loves you. The best way I can describe the kind of love God has for His children is the analogy of a normal and healthy parent/child relationship.
Picture yourself witnessing the birth of your firstborn baby. As you are cuddling this tender, helpless creature your heart is radiating an indescribable flood of love. Every fiber in your being yearns just to protect this innocent little one. He or she is depending on you.
Now, imagine a friend stopping by your room for a visit. He carelessly puffs on a joint and as he exhales he chooses to blow the toxic smoke directly into your precious one’s tiny, pink face. How does this make you feel?
If this scenario makes your blood boil, imagine how God feels when we do this kind of reckless damage to ourselves! It says in 1 Cor. 3:16-20 that God Himself will reckon with the people that destroy the temple (body) that God resides in. For those who feel justified in continuing to indulge in behavior that is known to destroy the body, God hates that kind of worldly “wisdom”. He has also promised to contend with that.
God is a patient and loving Father; and in that patient love, He desires the best for His children. Choosing to do what feels good for the moment is never worth the risk of the deep entrapment addictive indulgences bring with them. You are worth God’s BEST for you, don’t you think?
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I know that you want the best for me. I see so many people enjoying things that I feel like you are asking me to give up. That was the very reason I hesitated letting you in my life. There are things I enjoy, friends that make me laugh and places I like to go that I don’t feel like you want me to be a part of anymore. All these changes hurt. Lord, heal the pain and show my heart that by cutting these things out of my life I am only allowing the power of God to heal me on the deepest level. If I stay where I am at today, there will be no growth or further development of our relationship. Nothing is worth my relationship with you. I put you first. Today, I am asking for your power to help me to say no to the things that are not your best for me and yes to the things that you want me to replace them with. Today I am saying no to whatever will destroy my body. I am choosing to honor you by honoring myself. Send me new friends, new activities and new goals in my life…ones that fit into your picture of success for me. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional. Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan