…Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.”
1 Corinthians 6:13

The natural desires of the body are powerful. They are not inherently evil, but created by God. However, these desires fulfilled in illegitimate ways, are destructive and sinful. Our bodies are either under our own rule, or under the joy-producing rule of Jesus Christ. 

Many people today live as if their bodies are there to bring them the maximum amount of pleasure in whatever shape or form in which it can be obtained. We all can be powerfully tempted to follow in the same course. It is a very earth-bound, self-centered mindset. But, God’s design is that the body is for a higher purpose: for the Lord Himself. God has created our bodies and our desires to be used in a way that bring glory to Him as our Maker and Redeemer. Therefore, there are certain boundaries God has established, that He might be honored by how we use these gifts called bodies.

But, so that we might not believe the lie that says God is against us, and is there to rob us of our pleasure, notice the last part of the verse: the Lord for the body! God’s boundaries are from wisdom, love and goodness. His boundaries, when followed, save us from painful and destructive consequences, and from dishonoring our Lord. His boundaries require the pain of self-discipline and self-denial, but the fruits of these are joy and peace and true fulfillment. God is not against pleasure. He is the Author of it. Pleasure His way is the most satisfying. He is for the bodies that He made and redeemed by the sacrifice of His Son!

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