What My Rental Car Taught Me 租来的车给我的启示

[Dexu Xia]

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Today's Scripture 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Today's Insights  Some scholars believe that people in Corinth may have viewed Christianity as a means of advancing through society (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Slaves and nobles stood equal before Jesus (Galatians 3:28), so perhaps they thought they could also move up through the social ranks. In his first letter to the misguided church in Corinth, Paul challenged many of the wrong beliefs about what it means to be a servant of Christ. Following the risen Messiah doesn’t mean pride in social status (1 Corinthians 1:26-31), abusing food (ch. 8), or indulging in all kinds of licentious behavior (ch. 5; 6:12-20). Instead, God calls us to honor Him with every part of our lives, including our bodies

Today's Devotion  I recently traveled to Los Angeles and had to rent a car. Soon, I was driving through narrow downtown lanes, full of traffic and people. I found myself driving very carefully, slower than normal. Why? Well, I didn’t want to have an accident. But I really didn’t want to damage my rental car. It wasn’t mine, after all. I was just, well, borrowing it.

Most of the time, we’d rather be owners than renters. But as I drove, I couldn’t help but think that renting that car illustrated something important about my relationship to God.

Scripture teaches that even our bodies—which we might think we own—don’t belong to us. In a larger conversation about sexual sin in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul concludes, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (vv. 19-20).

I’ll admit, it’s hard to completely comprehend that my body isn’t my own. Still, God calls us to honor Him with it. To care for our bodies. To realize that we’re stewards—renters, if you will—of these vessels He’s given us, that we might use them to honor and serve the one whose own broken body and blood saves us.

Reflect & Pray

How do you respond to the idea that God wants us to honor Him with our bodies? How could this truth change how you live?

Dear Father, thank You for the amazing gift of my body. Please help me to honor You by using it to love and serve others today.   

By Adam R. Holz

“你们不属于自己，因为你们是重价买来的。所以，要在你们的身子上荣耀神。（哥林多前书 6章19-20节）

今日经文：哥林多前书 6章12-20 节

今日洞见：有些学者认为，哥林多人可能将归依基督教视为一种提升社会地位的途径（参阅哥林多前书 1:26-31）。在耶稣面前，奴隶与贵族地位平等（加拉太书 3:28），因此，他们或许以为自己也能借此跻身更高的社会阶层。保罗在写给那间误入歧途的哥林多教会的第一封信中，针对性地阐述了“作基督仆人”的真义，纠正了许多错误的观念。跟随复活的弥赛亚，并不意味着可以因基督徒的社会地位而自夸（哥林多前书 1:26-31），也不意味着可以滥用食物（8章）或放纵各种淫乱行为（5章；6:12-20）。相反，神呼召我们，要我们在生活的每一个层面，包括我们的身体，来荣耀祂。

 今日灵修：最近我去洛杉矶旅行，不得不租了一辆车。很快，我就发现自己正驾车穿行在市中心狭窄的街道上，那里车水马龙、人潮拥挤。我格外小心，车速也比平时慢。为什么呢？当然，我不想发生交通事故；但我更不想弄坏这辆租来的车。毕竟，这车不属于我，我不过是暂时借用它罢了。

 大多数时候，我们宁愿做“物主”而不愿做“租客”。但在驾驶途中，我不禁想到，租车这件事恰好生动地阐明了我与神之间的一种重要关系。圣经教导我们，即使是我们自以为拥有的身体，其实也不属于我们自己。在哥林多前书6章关于性犯罪的讨论中，保罗总结道：“岂不知你们的身子就是圣灵的殿吗？这圣灵是从神而来，住在你们里头的；并且你们不属于自己，因为你们是重价买来的。所以，要在你们的身子上荣耀神”（19-20节）。我承认，要完全领会“我的身体不属于我自己”这一点，确实很难。然而，神呼召我们要用身体来尊荣祂，要爱惜我们的身体。我们要意识到，自己只是神所赐予的这具“器皿”的管家，或者说是“租户”；我们要善用这具身体，去尊荣并服事那位曾为我们舍身流血、以此拯救我们的主。

   反思与祷告 对于“神希望我们用身体尊荣祂”这一观念，你有何感想？这一真理又将如何改变你的生活方式？ 亲爱的天父，感谢祢赐予我这奇妙的身体。求祢帮助我，在今天的生活中善用这具身体去爱人、服事人，以此来尊荣祢。

 作者：亚当 霍茨