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