Daily Devotion:

Title: Durable Engine, Worn Out Body

Date: February 19, 2013

It was the very last car that they made, with rust seemingly impregnated into the steel.  The car dealer had to sell the last rusty model to somebody, so we bought it. We’re not martyrs; we just didn’t know when we bought it at fifteen thousand miles what would happen to the body by one hundred and fifty thousand miles. It’ll cost twice what the car’s worth to fix the rust. Eventually it’ll be unsafe. Meanwhile, the engine, transmission, seat, heat, radio, lights, wheels, everything else is shipshape. The engine might make it to two hundred thousand miles if the body doesn’t give out.  

That’s how it is for some older people. The engine, minus a leak or two, is in excellent shape and could keep going on forever, but the body is decaying faster than a rusted fender on a wet, salted road. We hear folks say, “I’m eighty on the outside, but I’m twenty on the inside.” It’s too bad the body isn’t more durable. There’s a time limit built into us. Botox, chemical peels, health clubs, and good diets – they keep aging at bay, but they don’t stop the rust.

The Apostle Paul refers to the body as a temple because the soul lives inside the body. It doesn’t matter if it’s covered in rust, or whether the oil leaks, or the brakes squeak, or the seats aren’t comfortable. In any condition, the human body is a holy dwelling for God among us. 

Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank You for loving us the way we are, for seeing beyond the rust spots, to our bright souls within. Amen.

Here’s a Thought: Rust can’t touch the soul.

Source:

1 Corinthians 3:16