For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:20
Can tamales influence election results? If you’ve never had one, a tamale is corn dough known as masa, wrapped around meat or cheese with chilis or corn niblets, then wrapped up in corn husks and steamed to cook. In April 1976, President Gerald R. Ford was running for reelection against candidate Jimmy Carter. At a stop in San Antonio, Texas, Ford was offered a plate of tamales. Not familiar with them, he smilingly took one and bit into it, corn husk and all. For the uninitiated, the wrapper needs to be removed to get to the deliciousness inside. Cameras clicked as the embarrassed president put down the tamale. The incident was revisited on television news shows. The result was that Ford not only lost Texas, he lost the election.
Today’s verse is a reminder that your body, both what you put into it and what you do with it, matters to God.
The phrase “my body, my choice” is used across America today concerning abortion. However, many Christians may have a similar unspoken attitude about other matters relating to the body. It shows up in the consumption of sugars and other unhealthy foods, in the use of alcohol, medications, or illicit drugs, in smoking, or in taking sexual liberties. The instruction of today’s verse is for you to glorify God in your body. This means to intentionally turn away from the negative things. Paul cautions in Philippians 3:19 about letting your belly be your god, about taking pride in shameful acts, or in wrongly focusing your mind.
The passage today reiterates that Christ has purchased you at the cost of His blood. Your liberty in Jesus makes you part of His Body and frees you to reflect Him in your choices.
You do not belong to yourself, and your body is not for you to use as you please. God’s purposes for you are enhanced by the way you treat the “sanctuary of the Holy Spirit,” your body. He provides grace to help you make choices that glorify Him and direct you to do what is right.
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