On Top of my World: My Body Balance
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb - I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13 (NIV)
GOD MADE YOUR BODY
We all must walk a journey of accepting our bodies and not comparing it to others. We need to have a revelation of our value. Our value is that we are created in the image of God. We are a son or a daughter of God. Our bodies are unique and have value in God’s eyes.
Our bodies are a gift from God and accordingly, let’s be grateful and respectful towards this wonderful gift.
OUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - so Honour God with your Body.
God lives inside of us! In the Old Testament God dwelt in the Ark that resided in the tabernacle and later in the temple. God had very clear instructions on how to honour the Ark. It was Israel’s most precious possession. So when Paul says our bodies are “temples of the Holy Spirit,” he’s indicating just how precious our bodies are to God. We have the profound honour, as Christians, to bear the Spirit of God within our very hearts and bodies. This should change both how we view and treat our bodies, and also what we use them for (1 Cor 6:18-20 (MSG)).
Being good stewards of the bodies God has given us involves creating a LIFESTYLE that we can live every day including:
- Exercise – we are created to move not be sedentary – find something enjoyable and get moving.
- Nutritious food and water – we need to fuel our bodies – resist fad and miracle diets.
- Sleep and Rest – our bodies need adequate time to be restored
- Recreation - fun, play, laughter and pleasure help re-create us!
- Sex – it is good and godly … but only in marriage!
We honour God when we take care of our body.
KEEP THE BALANCE
It’s important to have both a spiritual perspective of our bodies and a practical perspective (1 Cor 6:12-13).
Our culture is obsessed with beauty, sex, health and fitness and it’s not always for the right reasons. Some people idolize their body and it becomes their god. Others try and change their body because they have not found acceptance. We need to learn balance – what is beneficial and what is moderation, and what is self-control versus being mastered by something (1 Timothy 4:8).
Jesus is Lord of every part of us therefore we need to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). When we fully embrace these truths from God’s Word about our body, it means we are no longer getting healthy just to live a few more years, fit into a particular item of clothing in our closet, or look more physically attractive. We are getting healthy as a way to honour and worship God.
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT:
- Discuss amongst the group ways in which you achieve balance in looking after your bodies.
- Share amongst the group a time when you became aware of being out of balance regarding your body and what you did to modify your lifestyle to restore balance.
- What’s a next step you could take to achieve better balance in your lifestyle? Do you need to get more sleep, move more or eat/drink less?
- Generally speaking it’s easier to change a habit if we’re doing it with someone. Is there an opportunity to encourage another by implementing a change to your body balance together? It might be walking together, everyone in the family switching devices off an hour before bed and chatting, or eliminating eating dessert for a period of time with a housemate.
