The Temple of God

1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us our bodies are God's temple. Not only did He create our bodies, but he also dwells in them through his Holy Spirit. Based on that knowledge, how should we treat our bodies? God created humans to be mind, body, and spirit. We, just as God, consist of three parts. Well-known Christian speaker and writer Joe Beam calls us "Triune Beings." What makes us human, and not animal, is that from the moment of conception, we have ALL three. Most of us from a very young age have been told to nurture our mind. We are encouraged to educate ourselves by reading and studying. The Bible tells us to think on things that are "noble, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy" (Phil. 4:8). You've heard the expression, "Garbage in, garbage out." What we put into our minds will come out. We have also been told to nurture our spirit. We are to watch our doctrine, our attitudes, our relationship with God, and our example closely. We are to encourage others so that their spirit will remain strong. The Bible tells us that God's spirit is of aid to our own. God saves our soul from hell if Jesus Christ is our Lord. But what about our bodies? Many times the ones who tell us to nurture our minds and spirits feed their bodies trash and are surprised when it fails to function properly. They don't nurture the body that houses the Holy Spirit. They don't take proper care of the body that is just as much a gift to us as our mind and spirit. I believe we are called to be stewards of our bodies. That means we feed it things that help it to rebuild and protect itself. I also believe that humans reap what they sow. If we don't give our bodies the proper food to function, we shouldn't be shocked when they malfunction. We should cherish and nurture the body that God has given us. We all should develop the discipline to nurture our mind, body, and spirit without ignoring any part. May God give us all the strength to be stewards of the gifts given us. -Lee Wilson