Do you not discern and understand that you
[the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary),
and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you
[to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?
1 Corinthians 3:16 AMP
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Who are we in relationship to the things around us? God made it very clear that we are His stewards. Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.” Remember this as you continue to read.
I have always been overweight. I cannot remember a time that I was ever a size that would be considered “normal weight.” Weight is often one of those things that make people uncomfortable. Here recently I have been teetering on 300 pounds. According to health charts, for my height I am supposed to weigh 140-160 pounds. I weigh almost twice as much as recommended.
Why am I mentioning this? Well, because! Because God made us stewards of our bodies. Our body is a temple. Temples are regarded as holy places. Have you ever met a person who would cuss anywhere under the sun except for in a church? There are many things that people would do OUTSIDE of a church that they would never do INSIDE of a church. I suppose it makes sense. People often view a church as God’s house. When people go searching for God, they often go to a church. People somehow understand that inside the church is a sacred place.
Just as we would treat the inside of the church, we should treat our bodies. This means taking care of ourselves. This means maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We are stewards of our bodies and should not do anything to intentionally hurt the gift we have been given from the Lord above. This does not just pertain to weight alone, but also our mental and emotional health are important, along with not smoking or excessive drinking.
I’d venture to say that we should also utilize the tools that have been provided to us, i.e., doctors. God loved us enough to provide a shelter for our souls to dwell within. He Himself dwells inside this body in the form of the Holy Spirit. So! As you would behave in a certain way inside a church, so you should behave within your own body. God dwells in us and we are stewards of His little personal temple that is our body.
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Lord, help us to be good stewards of the body that you have provided in whatever fashion that looks like in your eyes for us. Help us to have open minds and to seek your guidance in how you would have us care for this gift you have given us. Thank you, amen.
