Your Body is a Temple
1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.
Ephesians 2:22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Do you realize your body is a gift from God? It is also His temple if you have chosen to make Him your creator, your God, and to honor and worship Him. Part of that honoring means to not abuse your body with poisons, such as booze, cigarettes, overeating, sugars and so forth. We are to give it exercise, spend time laughing and sharing.
There are just so many precious parts to this body of ours. There are the complex system of brain and nerves, with instinct and warning mixed in to the complexity of them. Then, and also in conjunction with our brain, we have eyes that see, they can dart to and fro, registering most of what they see; there are ears which hear the soft mewling of a newborn, the singing of many birds, the ebb and flow of waves coming to shore, the angry turbulence of high waves and dangerous water. We hear the playing and chattering of children, the barking of dogs, the meowing of cats, the roar of jungle cats, and so much more. And of course, we can appreciate our arms and legs which can flee at the sense of danger and trouble, or cuddle with a child or pet. Our skin feels touch, can recognize, caring or hostility, warm/hot versus cold. And of course, with little to no conscious thought, we have hearts that beat and pump life giving blood to all cells and tissues. Our bodies are very incredible, very impressive. They fight invaders such as viruses and bacteria, and work to keep us healthy and in balance, not in dis-ease. We have marvelous bodies He created
How do we care for these marvelous human machines our God has created, to be in His image? There are so many ways we misuse and abuse our bodies. Some drink a lot of alcohol, some are smokers, some overeat, some overeat on sweets, and other poisons. There are others who hate exercise or feel unable to make time for exercise. Certainly in our society now, we have many conveniences that help us expend even less energy than say 50 years ago. When I was growing up, you had to walk to the phone and lift the receiver to chat. Now we have a mobile device lying beside us, we don’t have to get out of the chair!
Most have dryers and we are no longer hanging clothes on the line to dry, and then having to go out and retrieve and fold them. There are multiple microwave dishes so often times there is no cooking, and those may tout many healthy sounding things like low carb, high protein, but have you glanced at the content? They contain high salt, maybe high cholesterol, sugars, carbs. They can certainly be tasty, but at what price to our body over time?
God created us to be active. He wants us to walk and get exercise, socialize while traveling from place to place. He wants us to eat well, and drink well. Yes, wine is frequently mentioned in the bible, but I think moderation was present to the intake.
Most of the people during the time of Jesus, folks had to work hard and had physically taxing jobs. Women beat rugs, beat clothes and rubbed them against the rocks, carrying them to a stream to get them cleaned. Food was prepared and cooked, and fires made. It was not that you turned a knob and got your electric or gas stove to light. They had to go to wells and retrieve water; they did not have the luxury of turning a faucet and getting either hot or cold water, depending on preference.
Men had oxen to help till and prepare soil for planting. It’s a chore to yoke oxen and then run them in the direction you want. These people lived far more active lives then we do. Because of that, they were able to keep their “temples” cleaner and healthier.
Yes, many medical issues plagued the people of the time. The 20th century brought a myriad of improvements in that sphere, but I think in many ways they were a hardier group, and less likely to abuse substances.
We need to be very thankful and appreciative of our bodies, His temple. They are fine and incredible instruments that serve us very well. He created us in His image, and wants us to respect that and care for it, so good health will follow.
He loves us so very much. How humbling that it is to me. He took the time to create me, and although I may complain of flaws here or there, He loves and values me and only wants me to take care of myself (avoid sugar and junk), and serve Him.
Thank You, Father for creating me and this healthy body and helping write for “mybellaviews.”
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