God is so gracious to have equipped His followers for life on this planet. Not just for existence, but the ability to live in a way that glorifies Him. His Word informs us that He has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness by the power of Christ (2 Peter 1:3). We have the capability to live in a way that honors Jesus.
Thank God for giving us everything we need to honor Him with our lives!
As if that is not enough, He gives us guidance as to how we live for Him. The end of Proverbs chapter four offers three specific ways to avoid sin and obey God. He addresses how we talk, what we linger on with our eyes, and the places that our feet take us. I find it helpful that God is so specific in the way we use the various members of our body.
There is a song we used to sing in my childhood that put these verses into a simple tune. You might have sung it as well.
Oh be careful little eyes, what you see,
Oh be careful little eyes, what you see,
For the Father up above is looking down in love,
So be careful little eyes what you see.
As gentle as a lullaby, the song packs a powerful message into a child’s melody. The verses of the song speak directly to our eyes, tongue, feet, and hands. Whomever penned it, seemingly took it directly from Scripture.
I am thankful that Jesus equips us with the ability to honor Him with holy living. I am even more appreciative that our God keeps the instructions for holiness on the lower shelf. Regardless of how difficult they might be to obey, they are simple enough to understand.
Our willingness to glorify God in our bodies comes down to our love for God. Do we love Him enough to honor Him? Do we love Him enough to choose obedience? Do we love Him enough to use the members of our bodies as instruments of righteousness?
Maybe that is why our Lord centered everything on the heart in Proverbs 4. This passage, which addresses the tongue, the eyes, and the feet brings out the heart prominently.
for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
All of our actions flow from the heart. Our heart must decide to love Jesus enough to obey Him. When we do that, we maximize our ability to honor Jesus.
I encourage you to return to childlike faith as you evaluate the use of your body. Does every member of your own body obey God? Does your body reveal an obedience which honors Jesus Christ?
If not, I encourage you to give your heart a tune-up. Check in with Jesus. Say no to actions leading to disobedience. Return to your first love.
Love and blessings,
Dave