What motivates you to take care of your body? Here are 3 biblical reasons to take care of your body that personally motivate me. Fitness, just like anything, can become an idol if you allow it. By shaping your worldview around what the bible says,taking care of your body can be another act of worship.
TAKING CARE OF OUR BODIES GLORIFIES GOD.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Cor 10:31
God created your body. He wants you to take care of it. Illness, disease, and death are going to happen. No one, not even Christians are immune to it. It doesn’t matter if you tithe your 10%, give a little extra, serve in a ministry, and honor your spouse. Life happens, everyday, all the time. There is only so much we can do to take care of the bodies we have.
Self care is a discipline. It takes dedication, time, and effort to grocery shop, cook healthy meals, and workout. Just like reading the bible, praying, and tithing are considered spiritual disciplines, the process of taking care of your body to glorify God is also a spiritual act. More on this also in the next section.
JESUS DIED SO YOU COULD LIVE.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. -Romans 12:1
This reason is super important so don’t miss it. Your life has a purpose (Jer. 29:11). It is easy to go through seasons of our lives on autopilot missing all the good God has placed around us. I am totally guilty of this. Any other moms to little ones agree? I can become so consumed in my own little world that I miss opportunities that I could have been used by God to bless another person.
God is whispering to us all the time. It is a matter of deciding who we will pay attention to. God’s whispers or the enemy’s lies. I have battled with anxiety and can happily say that God has given me the power to overcome my anxious thoughts by leaning on Him and being in His word daily. Read my post 10 Bible Verses for Anxiety. Doing this wasn’t easy and it took time, prayer, and effort on my part to say NO to lies I was hearing and to start allowing God’s truths to permeate my life. By listening to the enemy’s lies I was not being able to live out my purpose for God, instead I was in a place of constant fear.
By taking care of our earthly body we have the potential to be God’s hands and feet here on earth. Our spiritual, physical, and mental health need to be aspects of self care that we evaluate on a regular basis. Exercise for the purpose of maintaining the health God has given you is not vain. It is one of the ways we can show God, and be a witness to others, that we care enough about the body we have. By keeping God at the center of everything we do, even exercising and at meal times, we are ensuring that our bodies do not become a stumbling block for us but another way to give glory back to God.
Make no mistake about this. Living an unhealthy lifestyle has the high probability of ensuring you less time with your loved ones and less time to make an impact for Christ to others.
THE BODY IS GOD’S TEMPLE.
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; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. -1 Corinthians 19:20
The Holy Spirit lives in you. Our bodies are a gift from God and do not belong to us. As Christians we need to realize that our bodies are on loan to us until heaven. If a friend loaned me an item that they greatly valued, they would expect me to return it to them in the same condition. They would be hurt and disappointed if I returned it to them destroyed. Shouldn’t we as Christ followers view our bodies with the same care and respect we would for a friends treasured belonging?
With social media and fitness magazines constantly blasting us with before and after pictures and telling us about the latest diet craze it can be challenging at times to remember that taking care of your body needs to remain rooted in God. NOT what the media says. If we rely on the quick fixes of this world we miss out on the power that comes from asking God to give us the spirit of self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Today is the perfect day to start making healthy changes. Start small and don’t try to do everything all at once. Get out for a walk everyday, drink more water, up your veggie intake, or eat your meals at home. And just to clarify, eating meals at home means cooking the meals, not ordering in ;). Small daily changes over time can add up to huge health benefits a year from now. Most importantly remember this about your body…
God created. Jesus died for it. The Spirit lives in it. So we better take care of it. -Pastor Rick Warren
I absolutely ADORE this post. So much truth in it. As someone who battled through an ED and only overcome it by the grace of God, it took me a LONG time to realize that if my sole focus of “health” or “nutrition” or “fitness” is to match the world’s perception, then I will never truly get it. “God created. Jesus died for it. The Spirit lives in it. So we better take care of it” is a quote that I have written in my daily journal and try to remind myself of daily. Knowing that the Spirit is within me reignites that passion daily to live for Him and use my body and my health to inspire those around me to find Him, seek Him and know Him.
I LOVE THIS. I love how you mentioned fitness being an idol- which is why a lot of people shy away from exercise and nutrition in the Christian culture. I’ve really been diving into this lately with my faith and it’s been really eye opening. I like to honor God by taking care of my body but I think it’s easy to cross the line into idolatry. I’ve been reading the Daniel Plan lately to see how they handle the balance. Thanks for the great reminder!
Honey,
This post is a keeper. I’ll be bookmarking it so I can refer back to it often. Thank you. I believe God invites us to join us in His work. How sad when we are unable to be all He intended us to be because we have neglected the very home He houses His spirit within us. Love, mom
I am so glad I found your blog! As I see everyone post goals and resolutions for 2016, I have struggled. I have been giving it to Him and saying, “God, what is my purpose in this life? How do I live your purpose?” I have this blog, but sometimes I feel like, “What is the point?” Then he spoke to me… I got asked by two MOPS groups to speak about fitness and faith- together! That is my purpose! I am trying to figure out how to intertwine it in my blog, I am not there yet, but I love this post! Thanks for sharing!
Tamara!!! What an awesome post. Thank you so much for your light and love. All from such a peaceful place and encouraging!!! I wasn’t kidding when I said I would love for you to lead us Bible Study ladies in some fitness. I don’t know how we got about that, but I envision so many of the ladies embracing!
Thank you so much! I would seriously LOVE that. I would be very happy to do that for you ladies :).
This is so true, and so important for me to remember! I struggle with some serious food and exercise related issues at times, by making it my idol. I have a difficult time finding balance in this, and because of that I’ve backed off of both exercise and eating super clean. Thank you for helping me see another Godly perspective. 🙂