Releasing the Oppressed

  What else can we know about the Kingdom?  Jesus, quoting Isaiah, says it is a time "to release the oppressed" (Luke 4:18).  In the Kingdom there is no depression, no mental illness, no suicide, no cutting.  The only one who gives up hope is satan.  There will be no addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling or pornography.  There will be no eating disorders, no sexual disorders, no rape, no incest.  Instead the Kingdom of God on earth is characterized by peace and harmony, respect for ourselves and one another because we are made in the image of God.
  On one of the cop shows on TV recently there was a scene where a drug supplier was offered some of his own coke.  His response was, "My body is a temple".  I've heard that statement before by people who are promoting healthy eating and exercising.  And it's a good message; we should treat our bodies well.  But the statement "My body is a temple" had been truncated.  It comes from Scripture.  Paul says, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? . . . God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).  Further on he says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body" (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
  Our bodies are not temples in and of themselves, they are temples of the Holy Spirit.  They are temples because we are made in God's image.  So being afflicted with addictions, disorders, or oppressions is not part of the Kingdom of God.

  For reflection:  How is my mental state?  What am I doing to keep hope alive?  What is my physical state?  How am I treating my temple of the Holy Spirit?  How am I releasing the oppressed?
  Let us pray.  Infinite Creator, who looked on mankind and said, "It is very good", help us not to submit to the slavery of our appetites, the abuse of our own bodies or the bodies of others.  You made us, we are yours.  Jesus, thank you for paying the price of our freedom.  Thank you for releasing us from oppression.  Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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