Renovation of the Heart
Transforming the Body (4|4)
Pages 178-184
• Taking Steps
• And That Is Sabbath
• The Body Spiritually Adorned
TOGETHER read the devotional and the scripture.
INDIVIDUALLY take notes in your journal on what stands out.
1 Corinthians 6:13 (NIV) 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.
Colossians 3:5 (NIV) Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Romans 7:5 (NIV) For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV) Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
TOGETHER pray for one another.
INDIVIDUALLY answer the questions in your journal - process your devotional notes and pray.
Taking Steps
“Release your body to God. That is what Paul means when he tells us ‘to present our body to God as a living sacrifice’ (Romans 12:1). It needs to be a definite action, renewed as appropriate, perhaps on a yearly basis. You will not drift into this position before God, and you will not, without decisive action, stay there. - What you want to do is to ask God to take charge of your body and each part, to fill it with his life and use it for His purpose.”
Have you ever done anything like this before? Would you consider giving it a try? Is there anything that would stop you from practicing this?
“No longer idolize your body. No longer make it an object of ‘ultimate concern.’ You have after all, now given it up to God, and he can do with it as he wishes. You have taken your hands off of ‘outcomes’ with respect to it, and you care for it only as it serves God’s purposes in your life and the lives of others. You don’t worry about what will happen to it for you have placed God in charge of all that, and any issue that arises in this area you freely take up with Him in prayer.”
Is this the same theology or philosophy as “Jesus take the wheel”? Is there anything that would stop you from surrendering control of your body image to God?
“Do not misuse your body. This means primarily two things: First, you do not use it as a source of sensual gratification, and you do not use it to dominate or manipulate others. The second thing this means is that we do not use our bodies to dominate or control others.”
Have you witnessed a person use their body as a way to seduce, control, manipulate, or dominate another person? (think of a lot of reality TV shows). What is the outcome when that happens?
“The body is to be properly honored and cared for. The first step in this direction follows from what has already been said. That is, the body is to be regarded as holy because it is owned and inhabited by God.
What does “properly honored and cared for” mean/look like? How do you do that? Is that sustainable?
And That Is Sabbath
“Sabbath is first to be achieved. in the practice of solitude and silence. The body must be weaned away from its tendencies to always take control, to run the world, to achieve and produce, to attain gratification. - Rest is one primary mark of the condition of Sabbath in the body, as unrest is a primary mark of its absence.”
What does Sabbath mean to your body?
The Body Spiritually Adorned
“God has made every provision for the bodies we actually have to serve us and Him well for purposes in putting us here on earth. There may be severe problems with our bodies, at least from the human point of view. We do not mean to deny or disregard that. But, as Peter said to the apprentices of his day, the real power of life lies in who we are as redeemed people and how our behavior is caught up in that.”
Can the body have spiritual beauty? In what way?
EXTRA READING:
“Following Jesus will mean surrendering the power that masquerades as security in order to love the neighbor and welcome the stranger. It will mean avoiding the safe path in order to pursue the good. But in a culture of fear, we find such risks all the more difficult since our natural inclinations lead us to close in on ourselves when we face danger. How can we maintain the posture of the open hand toward a world that scares us.”
- Scott Bader-Saye (born 1965) American Theologian and Professor of Christian Ethics and Moral Theology