Hello, everytemple — I mean body ;-). I hope everyone’s had a happy Thursday! Just one more day until Friday (for those of you who didn’t pass pre-school), for which I’m especially excited because I’m going to a Mavericks-Suns game with two of my best girl friends!
So, what happened after I came to the end of my rope and latched on to the one the Lord offers us? Was there an instantaneous change in how I viewed food and why I exercised? No. But what did change immediately was my modus operandi, if you will, for getting well. It was no longer a solo operation…
The day following my “fourth watch prayer,” I opened my Bible to an arbitrary place in the New Testament and began to read. Soon, I came to the book of 1st Corinthians and read a passage that all but leapt from the page and danced on my desk:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples 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 bodies.” – 1st Cor. 6:19-20
I, like most of you, I would imagine, had heard the phrase, “Your body is a temple,” a number of times, and to be honest, it was probably the ubiquitous recitation of it that desensitized me to its extraordinary implications. Prior to the fresh illumination I’d seen in the verses, I frankly thought they pertained to drugs, alcohol, and sex. With that interpretation, under and overeating, or just plain eating junk, wouldn’t desecrate “the temple.”
The Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things (John 14:26), had to show me that a sluggish, sad, self-centered temple was just as dishonoring as an addicted or promiscuous one. Colossians 10:31 amplified the precept of 1st Corinthians 6, and the combined impact on my life could not have been stronger:
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – Col. 10:31
As you’re probably aware, every word of the Bible is God-breathed (2nd Tim. 3:16), and I believe the Holy Spirit chose to preface Colossians 10:31 with “eat or drink” for a very important reason. Most believers don’t, in my opinion, consider that their food and beverage choices are either glorifying to God or, well, not. (Here in Texas, for example, many church congregations are half super-sized. I hate to sound rude, but it’s a plain fact).
Quite simply, I had a reality check, that is to say, I was reminded of what I was, who I am, and why I live. I was a sinner lost in my sins, I became and remain reconciled unto God (2nd Cor. 5:19), and I live for Christ (to die is gain; Philippians 1:21). I had forgotten this. I was living for myself and not for the One whose blood paid the ransom for mine and all the sins of the world.
I was beginning to realize that every facet of my life, from praying and worshipping on Sunday morning to eating out Saturday night, is for God. We won’t live forever, but being healthy and fit are just a few of the ways we can better serve Him while we tread this earth in mortal, corruptible bodies.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Stay fit, stay faithful, ~<3 Di
P:S: Below is an artist’s rendering of the temple in Jersualem. The outer court symbolizes our body, the inner our soul, and the innermost chamber, the Holy of Holies, represents our spirit.
