Ok. Today marks day 3 of our devotional series on Spiritual Inventory (day 8 if you count the 5 days from Part 1). Yesterday, we discussed how our MINDS could be our greatest stumbling block, an obstacle that impedes our ability to experience the richness of God’s presence (in case you missed it, you can read it here).
Today, we’ll be discussing a topic that is often LEFT OUT of the conversation. Today, we’ll be discussing your BODY. I’d be willing to bet that somebody just closed the window swearing to never read this blog again…sometimes the truth hurts, for the next few minutes, let it hurt.
For some reason, a reason that I’m unable to readily identify, church people (me, hopefully you, possibly you), followers of Christ, out of fear, possibly neglect, maybe ignorance, simply DO NOT talk about food, exercise, eating habits, weight…our BODY. We talk about THE body, as in the body of Christ (the Church); we’ll even talk about the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, and other substances, but tiptoe around the subject of food.
Why? Is it any different?
Why is ok to take a busload of church people to the local buffet, watching people put away 7 maybe 8 plates of food, sweating because their heart medicine is wearing off, knees aching, back hurting…yet we point our fingers in disgust at the person who attends the local bar or has the occasional beer?
Why is one more socially acceptable than the other, when BOTH are killing our family and friends? I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. I want to scream HYPOCRITE, but what does that solve? I don’t think it’s a matter of POINTING OUT people’s faults; so much as it is a matter of PAINTING a healthy picture of the body. Enough of me, here’s what the Bible say…
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
God says…
#1—Your body is the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
#2—You do not BELONG TO YOURSELF
#3—God BOUGHT YOU with a high price
#4—Honor God WITH YOUR BODY
If you get anything today, please get this, God LOVES you so much, VALUES you so much, that he sent his son to die on a cross, in your place, in my place, to die for our sins. Three days later he was raised from the dead. Death couldn’t hold him! Victory was his. Victory IS his! And now, through a relationship with Jesus, victory can be ours! In the moment you profess your faith in Jesus, God invades your life, your very being by placing the Holy Spirit WITHIN you. Your BODY becomes the TEMPLE, HIS temple. You no longer have to live as a slave to your selfish desires, but can live FREE standing in the shadow of a bloodstained cross!
So, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to ask yourself the following questions and answer them HONESTLY. How have you mistreated your body? What have you done, what activities or habits, to cause harm to your physical health?
Hurts, habits, and hang-ups related to your BODY are often generational struggles; struggles that were handed down to us from our parents, handed down to our children from us, handed down to our children’s children from them…will you take a stand and BREAK THE CYCLE?
Today, we’ll be discussing a topic that is often LEFT OUT of the conversation. Today, we’ll be discussing your BODY. I’d be willing to bet that somebody just closed the window swearing to never read this blog again…sometimes the truth hurts, for the next few minutes, let it hurt.
For some reason, a reason that I’m unable to readily identify, church people (me, hopefully you, possibly you), followers of Christ, out of fear, possibly neglect, maybe ignorance, simply DO NOT talk about food, exercise, eating habits, weight…our BODY. We talk about THE body, as in the body of Christ (the Church); we’ll even talk about the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, and other substances, but tiptoe around the subject of food.
Why? Is it any different?
Why is ok to take a busload of church people to the local buffet, watching people put away 7 maybe 8 plates of food, sweating because their heart medicine is wearing off, knees aching, back hurting…yet we point our fingers in disgust at the person who attends the local bar or has the occasional beer?
Why is one more socially acceptable than the other, when BOTH are killing our family and friends? I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. I want to scream HYPOCRITE, but what does that solve? I don’t think it’s a matter of POINTING OUT people’s faults; so much as it is a matter of PAINTING a healthy picture of the body. Enough of me, here’s what the Bible say…
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
God says…
#1—Your body is the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
#2—You do not BELONG TO YOURSELF
#3—God BOUGHT YOU with a high price
#4—Honor God WITH YOUR BODY
If you get anything today, please get this, God LOVES you so much, VALUES you so much, that he sent his son to die on a cross, in your place, in my place, to die for our sins. Three days later he was raised from the dead. Death couldn’t hold him! Victory was his. Victory IS his! And now, through a relationship with Jesus, victory can be ours! In the moment you profess your faith in Jesus, God invades your life, your very being by placing the Holy Spirit WITHIN you. Your BODY becomes the TEMPLE, HIS temple. You no longer have to live as a slave to your selfish desires, but can live FREE standing in the shadow of a bloodstained cross!
So, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to ask yourself the following questions and answer them HONESTLY. How have you mistreated your body? What have you done, what activities or habits, to cause harm to your physical health?
Hurts, habits, and hang-ups related to your BODY are often generational struggles; struggles that were handed down to us from our parents, handed down to our children from us, handed down to our children’s children from them…will you take a stand and BREAK THE CYCLE?
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