“And do not offer any parts of [your body] to sin as weapons for unrighteousness” (Rom. 6:13).

Our bodies are miraculous, yet we often treat them like a dumping ground — without honor, without awe, without gratitude to their Creator. We eat too much too often too quickly; or we engage in sex outside of marriage; or we deprive ourselves of rest and sleep until we drop.

Sadly, Christians are sometimes the worst. Our bodies are capable of glorifying God in a thousand ways: our feet chase after toddlers; our hands make music; our arms lift beams to build beautiful structures … and yet we lack integrity toward them.

To consecrate means “to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity.” When you consecrate something, you give up all rights to it, and God calls the shots. We must consecrate our bodies to Him and treat them accordingly.

This doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy food or sex or hard work or any other number of activities. In fact, it means just the opposite: when these gifts are enjoyed within the boundaries God has established, they don’t control us, and when they don’t control us, they lose their power to wrap us in shame and guilt.

Romans 6:13 concludes, “Offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.” Other translations render this last phrase “instruments of righteousness,” “weapons to do right,” or “instruments of justice.”

Today, will you consecrate your body to God as a weapon of righteousness? Ask Him to show you how to treat it as the sacred creation it is.