Our Questions… God’s Answers
Questions of Suicide – Part VII
Scripture Reading: Acts 17:24-25, Acts 17:28
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
As we wrap up our discussion of God and the questions of suicide, I want to remind us of the plan God has for every person in this world. Our suggested reading and the printed key verse helps us understand God’s plan. First, God is the author of all life, thus we must honor the sacredness of life. If we are capable of logical thinking, knowing the difference between right and wrong, then we are responsible to think through that we cannot play the role of God and take away any life, including our own.
The key verse for today gives us the second lesson: our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. There was a time when God dwelt in the temples made by man, but that all ended when Jesus came to earth and provided the new covenant. His Spirit lives in every believer’s heart, not in brick and mortar. Wherever God’s Spirit dwells, God declares that place a holy place. We have a hard time believing this, but God has declared you holy if you are a believer. No, you are not a god, nor are we perfect in our actions or judgments. However, God has determined to guide your life into a holy lifestyle. He works on us, gently guiding us into a life that pleases Him. That is why the Apostle Paul taught the early churches to “stay in step with the Spirit of God” in them (Galatians 5: 16-26). The Spirit is in us to help us when we are troubled, depressed and feeling like all hope is gone. If we don’t follow the nudges of the Spirit, we can allow our lives to get so depleted that we mentally can’t function as we should. That is the situation that we dealt with earlier this week, when a Christian could commit suicide. Let’s determine to stay in step with God.
“Father, I am committed to listening to your Spirit within me. I will rest when you tell me to rest! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”