Most Christians do not stop to think about how important their bodies are, or how much the Word of God has to say about them. Paul was particularly aware of the plans that God has for our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:12-14 (ESV)
¹² “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

The message is clear—at His appointed time, God is going to raise our bodies from the dead. He is not going to give us a different, recreated body; He is going to resurrect the bodies that we presently have. They are going to be better than they are now, but they are going to be the same bodies. Paul is clear about this in 1 Corinthians 15.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (ESV)
⁴² So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body…

Paul uses the word it 7 times in these verses, and every time he is referring to the same thing—the raising up of the bodies that we now have. Notice, the thing that is sown is the same thing that is raised. This goes along with what Paul taught the brethren at Philippi.

Philippians 3:21 (KJV)
²¹ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Paul’s teaching about God’s plans for our bodies aligns with his teaching about how we should live in our present bodies. In the first reference that I gave (1 Corinthians 6:12-14), Paul’s application was, “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). In the second passage I gave (1 Corinthians 15:42-44), Paul’s conclusion was that we should “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).  In the Philippians passage, Paul’s over-all message was, “…let us hold true to what we have attained (Philippians 3:16).

Paul consistently taught us to glorify God with our bodies now, since God plans to glorify our bodies in the future. What are you doing with the body that God has given you? Are you using it for good or evil? Paul exhorts us not to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies (Romans 6:12), but instead use them as instruments of righteousness (ver. 13). If we sacrifice our bodies to the Lord now, He will give us eternal life later. That sounds like a good deal to me.

Romans 12:1 (ESV)
¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.