ALANIB: DRUG ABUSE VIOLATES GOD'S WORD

DRUG abuse kills and destroys the God-given body. It destroys relationships
and destroys the future of the abuser.

God's Word says in full in four versions of I Corinthians 6:19-20:

"Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives
in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but
to God; he bought you with a price. So use your bodies for God's glory."
(Good News Bible)

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is
in you whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have
been bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body." (American
Standard Version)

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is
in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit,
which are God's." (The King James Version)

"Do you not know that your body is a shrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit
and the Spirit is God's gift to you? You do not belong to yourselves; you
were bought with a price. Then honor God in your body". (The New English Bible)

What's the specific command? "Use your bodies for God's glory," "glorify
God in your body," "therefore glorify God in our body and in your spirit,"
"Honor God in your body." In other words, God has commanded as to take care
of our bodies. If anyone insists in not caring of one's body, then, it is
disobedience. It is a violation. It is sin.

If we have strong and healthy bodies, we can serve God more. A body that is
often ill or tired because of poor stewardship becomes the devil's object
of attack. If we abuse our bodies by overeating, smoking, getting drunk,
and drug abuse, we dishonor God, we damage our bodies, and we make people
around us suffer.

We need discipline. For us to discipline ourselves, we need a conviction
deep inside our hearts. We want to please the Lord.

When we think of how much He has sacrificed for us, there is nothing too
costly for us to sacrifice for Him!

Our body is not our own. It belongs to God who bought us with a price. Let
us offer it as a living sacrifice to Him.

We need to maintain proper diet, physical exercise (physical fitness), and
have proper rest and recreation, so that we can have strong and healthy
bodies to love and serve God.

There are at least four things that destroy the God-given body: drug abuse,
smoking, drinking and overeating. Doing these abominable things grieve the
Holy Spirit who indwells every Christian. Also God the Father is grieved,
for He seeks honor (Matthew 5:16 -- "In the same way your light must shine
before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your
Father in heaven."), not shame, from those who are bought at a price, that
price being "the precious blood of Christ."

The command of God is all designed to make us happier than we can possibly
be without them. One of these is "use your bodies for God's glory." Let's
be all ears to God's Word.

A missionary translator was struggling to find a word for obedience, but
couldn't. One day he called his dog to him, and the dog came running. A
national said, "Your dog was all ears." That gave the translator the word
he needed for obedience -- "to be all ears."

Verses and questions to ponder on Questionable Practices

"Everything is permissible for me -- not everything is beneficial" (I
Corinthians 6:12). Question 1: Is it helpful -- physically, spiritually and
mentally?

"Everything is permissible for me -- but I will not be mastered by
anything" (I Corinthians 6:12). Question 2: Does it bring me under its power?

"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never
eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall" (I Corinthians 8:13).
Question 3: Does it hurt others?

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of
God" (I Corinthians 10:31). Question 4: Does it glorify God?