Job 33:4

"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 33:4

What do I believe people take for granted way too often? Our bodies. We have a tendency to treat them in the worst possible ways. They are treated like run-down cars, skateboards, mopeds, mountain bikes, dartboards, etc. We use and abuse them all day long. Since we wear this skin, we deem it as ours. It is to a degree. This body and life we have is a gift. A gift given by God. Whoever treats gifts with such disdain? Especially a gift given by the Almighty, it is unheard of!

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground...." Genesis 2:7A God formed us out of the earth with His own hands. Time was taken to hand craft us in his image. When we abuse our bodies, we attack God on two levels. His creation is maligned by our hands. We willfully taint and tear apart his creation. Examples include: alcohol, drugs, sex, obesity, sports, masochism, and suicide. A myriad of ways abuse is abuse rendered to the body. A great many are done in the name of fun or love. In the name of love-thats ironic. The second is His image. We are doing damage and maligning the image of God. Wrap your mind around it. The image of God walks past you and interacts with you on a daily basis! We should not treat our bodies lightly or like playgrounds. They house the spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is within us. These bodies are like the Ark of the Covenant.

"...and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life...." Genesis 2:7B This lovely vision of God fills my mind. He is on his knees over a body formed of clay. Leans over and His lips brush our lips and a breath escapes. The Holy breath of God fills our lungs. Chest rises for the first time. Something that I have never thought of. The breath of God in my lungs. So many treasures are given to us, we overlook the greatest and simplest ones. When our breath catches in awe, it is His breath that catches. Just the tiniest little gift, a breath. Tis the best gift ever received by me! And yet again, we abuse this gift, namely in one way. Trying to take that breath away. Those of us who view life as too much. Pain is too intense. We are too much wrapped up in our own guilt, pain, and depression to realize what we possess. Jesus made a way to get us intimate with God. We want to throw that away? Not only intimacy with the Father and serving others as Jesus, but we slap Him in the face by desecrating His work, image, and breath he bestowed IN us. Nothing in this life is bad enough to give up all that God has to offer.

Mass destruction is still the menu for humanity. Respect must be learned for our bodies. It is not just our bodies we are respecting, but God! His image is what we wear! I do not see porcupines, apes, alligators, or moose talking. We are not animals, even though we tend to act like them. A gift is treasured. Treasure the gift God has given. Do not allow society to conform you to it's destructive nature. Honor the LORD thy God. Treat your body with the respect it deserves!

kenny