Let’s imagine that you had a rich uncle. One day he shows up with a Ferrari and wants you to take care of it. It is in pristine condition without a scratch or dent and shines like a diamond on display.
He tells you that you can drive it and use it how you please but to make sure you take care of it because at some point in the future, he will be back for it. When he returns he expects it to be in the same condition he left it with you.
So you drive it and take care of it but as time goes on you get a few dings and scratches. Oil changes go from every three months to every year to none at all. It ends up getting parked outside in the elements with no cover. You even forego the no smoking in the car command the uncle made when he left it with you.
Then you decide one day on a whim to put a decal on the back and then some painted accents on the sides. After many years in your possession, the Ferrari no longer shines like the diamond and actually looks pretty bad. The interior is torn up and the exterior has lost its luster and is littered with dings, scratches and a bent fender. It looks so bad that you are embarrassed to even drive it anymore.
The rich uncle sends his son to claim the car and take it back to the uncle. What reaction do you think he will have when he sees the car in all its state of disrepair? I would imagine he would be pretty disappointed and will report back that you are not to be trusted anymore with any of the uncle’s valuable things.
Back in 19xx, God gifted you with a perfect body to navigate life on earth in. It was free of bumps and bruises and ran exceptionally well. At some point in the future, He will be back to claim it and expects it will still be in pristine condition.
Unfortunately, many of us take it for granted and just expect it to work without care and proper maintenance. We fill it full of sugar and fat instead of vitamins and minerals. We don’t give it the proper downtime it needs to replenish its capabilities. We put it in danger through irresponsible acts and dangerous situations. We pour strong libations into it that damage internal organs and smoke or inhale drugs that destroy brain cells and the linings of our lungs.
We bang it around and cover it with tattoos and piercings as a form of self expression. We are not concerned with the consequences and we all have some sort of invincibility paradigm. This despite seeing the large numbers of those who have come before us and now find themselves occupying a morgue downtown.
Our body is like the Ferrari that the rich uncle gifted us with. God is the rich uncle and He expects you to take care of His most valuable possession. So valuable that He sent His Son to die on a cross so we could use eternally.
We are told in 1 Corinthians
“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.”
Glorify God, your body is His temple here on earth. Would you spray paint the walls of the His beautiful church? Of course not, therefore treat your body like the most elegant and wondrous creation it is and understand one day His Son will be back to claim it. What condition will yours be in? Will it be covered in Tattoos, overlaid with several pounds of fat or damaged from years of self abuse?
Whatever condition it is in, you can still repair it and prepare it for the Son’s coming. We ask for forgiveness and start today on a new regimen to care for this miraculous organism we possess. We refrain from those things which will damage our Ferrari and start caring for it like the valuable possession it is. The truth is we are being prepared for a time when God will return and based on our past experiences, will be given responsibilities that cover the entire Universe!
The Bible does say we will be given new bodies that can transcend death. In Phillipians, it states:
the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Your body is more valuable than a Ferrari, your existence more than the Diamond and your heart is the Temple of God. Care for them, protect them and demonstrate your gratitude for being gifted with them and the gift of Jesus sacrifice. Start now and prepare for the day when the Son comes back to claim what is His and states “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little.” Luke 19
God Bless
