Physical desires: The Bible tells us to feast, eat, drink, celebrate, sing, dance, shout, and make music – all things we do with our bodies. These appetites, desires, and delights can actually become a way of remembering how good our God is. The physical is not separate from the spiritual; indeed it is God’s Spirit who makes our bodies come to life. The Bible doesn’t condemn you for wanting to be physically attractive. Now, this needs to be kept in perspective: ‘Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion’ (Proverbs 11:22 NIV 2011 Edition).
The same principle applies to men. But God did create our bodies. So can we get real? God made us with a love of beauty. Some stylists started what they called a ‘hairdressers’ ministry’. Perhaps that sounds strange to you. After all, the only hairstylist mentioned in the Bible was Delilah, and when Samson went to her, things didn’t go too well for him. But serving people by cutting their hair can be a good thing. People will share problems with their hairstylist that they won’t share with anybody else. So you can see how that can be a real ministry.
This group gave complimentary haircuts to physically and mentally challenged folks. Then they travelled to Costa Rica to serve young women trying to escape a life of prostitution. They honoured and freely served bodies that had not been freely served for a long time: bodies that had been turned into objects. What’s the point? You may need to get a new concept, a biblical concept of what is truly ‘spiritual’.
2 Kings 24-25, Acts 13:26-52
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