Open Heaven 5 July 2025: Be Moderate in All Things
MEMORISE: All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corinthians 6:12
READ: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional Here
In today’s memory verse, Paul said that although all things were lawful unto him, he would not be controlled by any earthly thing. Paul went further to say in 1 Corinthians 9:25 that believers should be temperate in all things. These Bible verses show that God has a standard for everything His children do, including how they talk, dress, and relate with others. Unfortunately, many believers have allowed social media, people’s opinions, and societal trends to set the standards for how they dress, eat, sleep, and even worship God.
The devil will always try to use people’s desires to destroy them. It is not a sin to like some material things, but you must put your fondness for them under control. For example, Samson’s uncontrollable desire for sex eventually led to his downfall (Judges 16:1-31).
Beloved, even if the material things you like are legitimate and good, you must still put your fondness for them under control. The things that you consider good and legitimate can lead to sin when they exceed lawful bounds.
For example, although there is nothing wrong with eating good food, gluttony, which is excessive eating, is a sin because it goes against the divine instruction to be temperate in all things (1 Corinthians 9:25). For many people, their excessive eating has led them to poverty (Proverbs 23:21).
As a child of God, you must be moderate in all aspects of life. You must be moderate in your speech because when you talk too much, you are bound to sin (Proverbs 10:19). For example, when the rich fool’s business prospered exceedingly, he became so excited that he began to talk too much, showcasing the pride in his heart and this led to his untimely death (Luke 12:16-20). You must also be moderate in your appearance. It is good to dress well; however, focusing excessively on fashion and being driven by every fad is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Believers are admonished to set their affection on things above and not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:1-2).
Beloved, to live in moderation, you must have self-control. Solomon said that a fellow who has no rule over his own spirit is like a broken-down city that has no walls (Proverbs 25:28).
You must make no provision for the flesh to fulfil its lusts (Romans 13:14). When you walk in the Spirit and set your heart on things above, you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16, Colossians 3:2), rather you will live a moderate life that will be pleasing to God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Open Heaven 5 July 2025
