" . . . I keep under my body." 1 Corinthians 9:27
The body of a man without life differs in no wise from the earth from which he is taken. In Genesis we are told that God formed man "of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul." Before God breathed into Adam, he was merely a lump of clay. It may have been fashioned in the shape of a man and all the organs may have been in place, but it was only clay.
Someone has broken down the chemical composition of the body of a 150 pound man, which among other elements contains about enough sulphur to rid a small dog of fleas, enough phosphorous for one match, enough calcium to whitewash a doghouse, fat enough for six bars of soap, enough sugar to sweeten 5 cups of coffee, iron enough for a ten-penny nail, nitrogen enough to blow up a house, and sufficient hydrogen to fill a ten-gallon pail of water. Total value of all the elements (before inflation): 98 cents.
But what a valuable structure the body becomes when life is imparted to it. It becomes the most versatile machine in the world. It can walk, talk, laugh, cry, sing, see, hear, think, and invent. It repairs itself without stopping, the air conditioning plant breathes 30 times a minute, the heating system keeps beating at 70-80 beats a minute for 60-70-80 years.
But still more astoundingly wonderful is the body when the Spirit of God comes to dwell in that person. Our bodies then become "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19). When we are His, our bodies become the members of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15). How careful we should be to keep those temples clean. Our bodies belong to Him - take care of your body - for it is God's house.
"Bread For Each Day"
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