"R.E.S.P.E.C.T.-Find Out What it Means to Me"

A definition for the word "price" is that which must be given, done, or undergone in order to obtain a thing. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in 1^st Corinthians. In trying to guide the citizens of Corinth, Greece away from their debauchery, Apostle Paul asked, ^"Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, whom you have received (1^st Corinthians 6:19-20 AMP) What was the price that Apostle Paul referred to? It was the blood of the sacrificial lamb known as Jesus Christ.

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) were the words that John the Baptist shouted when he introduced Jesus. His bold statement explains the reason for such a sacrifice. He died to take away our sins. Yet, many do not seem to understand or care for the price He paid for their life. Many use drugs, sex, alcohol, food, even busyness as artificial replacements to feel complete. But if everyone understood and felt with every fiber of their being the love that God has for them- they would understand the price Jesus paid. The love you have for the person you care about the most in this world, this is what is what Jesus feels for you yet even more so.

Prior to Passover, Moses told the Israelites a message from the Lord, "For the Lord will pass through to slay the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood upon the lintel and the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to slay you." (Exodus 12:23) Blood on the doorpost prophetically symbolized the price that Christ would pay in covering our sins with His blood. Passover was a perfect illustration of the power of the blood. Today, millions of Christians plead the blood of Christ over their lives during prayer. Before Christ, God called for the sacrifice of bulls and goats for the remission of the sins of Israel, but after His Son died for us, God no longer required animal sacrifices.

Everyone is familiar with the phrase "what goes around, comes around" and wishes to treat everyone accordingly. People are aware that what you do to other people may eventually be repaid to you. Yet, no one gives a second thought to the sin they commit unto themselves. Committing fornication, having open relationships, one-night stands are sins against oneself. The Spirit of God can not dwell in an unclean body, Apostle Paul asks, "Do you not see and know that your bodies are members (bodily parts) of Christ (the Messiah)? Am I therefore to take the parts of Christ and make [them] parts of a prostitute? Never! Never! Or do you not know and realize that when a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? The two, it is written, shall become one flesh." (1 Corinthians 6:15-16 AMP)

Cravings of the flesh are hard to ignore, even more difficult is having the actual willingness to sacrifice the desires of your heart. Have you ever stopped to consider the emotional damage one inflicts onto themselves and body by committing sins against your own body? It's a price one unknowingly pays and in doing so makes it harder to form a relationship with the Lord. Such a relationship will stop the feeling of emptiness on the inside...for God is love. (1^st John 4:8) It's ironic that many have no qualms about following the ways of the world, but do not want to give up their lifestyle for the Messiah who died for the world. "He who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." (1^st Corinthians 6:18) Sure satisfying your fleshy desires provide instant gratification, but in the long run honoring and respecting your body for the sake of Christ is a small effort considering the price He paid for you.