Many people have asked me about physical health and Gods will for it lately. My response is that God clearly gave us a body and he gives us a responsibility to it. Then it was confirmed when I read in Romans 12:1 and saw that Paul Writes,” And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because all he has for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
This is a beautiful scripture, but it is also very enlightening. It brings awareness to the importance of caring for our bodies. If you are like me, you might have thought many times about good health but seeing it as a commandment from God sheds a different light on it. God gave us physical bodies which impacts our emotional wellness which is balanced by our spiritual health. This the image of us he created, and we are called to maintain it.
Paul’s verse also seems to be saying that our bodies are a form of sacrifice to God. To take care of them is actually a form of worship to our Creator! So, if we want to show love for God, it is only right we take care of the physical body he gave us? Right?
One way to take care of our body is by being physically active. This is important especially in today’s culture of leisure because our minds actually respond to this. Our mind releases God given endorphins when we are physically active. This helps us to be more in tune with our surrounding and have increased energy to do the will of God.
Another way to show care is eating well. This shows appreciation for the natural medicine and fuel God created with intention for our bodies. Our food is our energy. It is the God given source of life and functioning which provides our nutrients for growth and repair. This would mean balanced meals instead of gluttony. It would also mean natural and healthy food options.
Along with those key factors getting adequate sleep is important as well. God speaks about the importance of rest constantly throughout the bible in verses such as Psalm 23, Matthew 11:28-30, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 127:2, Psalm 4:8 … I could go on forever but there is no shortage on the importance of rest and that we can get this through God. This rest is when our bodies heal and our immune systems improve. It also allows our energy levels to replenish, and overall mood to be improved.
So the importance is evident. But some of us may desire freedoms from addictions that directly impact our physical body. God provides us with this freedom. This can be in the form of drugs, alcohol, food, or other improper behavior to our physical bodies.
As believers we actually have an increased motive to take care of our bodies. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, we get this great gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells within our physical body. Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 6:19- “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.” So, if we love God and God lives within our bodies (the temple) it only makes sense to take care of the temple of the Spirit. Its easy for me to point this out but believe me I struggle. I can let up very easily on my health decisions. I drink too much caffeine, I eat cakes and candy bars, I over-eat and many other forms sometimes. The craziest part is that I justify it because I’m no longer doing Heroine, Cocaine, or Alcohol anymore lol. SMH. However, the good part is we have a God of grace. We have a god of forgiveness. If you can relate, this may also be an area you have surrendered slowly in. As many Christians know, sanctification is not an overnight matter. Over and over God puts things on my heart that need change, but it is up to me to make the decision and then ask for help. So, after recognizing the alignment between the body and spirit it should motivate us to do one thing. ASK GOD FOR HELP!
