Rom 12:1 (NLT) And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies
to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy
sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship
him.
Our bodies were
created by God and are His marvellous masterpiece. They belong to Him and are
given on trust to us to look after, nurture and use in His service. This surely
means we should keep these temples of the Holy Spirit healthy and fit for
purpose. We are not free to abuse our bodies by giving them too much unhealthy
food or drink. We are given energy and health to be productive in work, in
helping and caring for the weak but above all in our worship to God in all we
do. Pampering our bodies doesn’t fit
well with giving them to God as living sacrifices but neither does over-working them
and causing them so much stress that they become weak or sick. Do our bodies
reflect over indulgence, over work or God’s dynamic presence? In short what
does our body and the way we treat it say about our relationship to Jesus?
Father,
help us to give over every part of our bodies to you that we might please and
honour you in all that we do.
Giles, have you seen the book Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas? We haven't read this one but we've read several others of his. This one sounds like it addresses this theme you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book but it certainly seems to be on the right track thanks for mentioning it!
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