My Body Is A Temple? 5 Ways To Treat The Human Body Right
"What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own? You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (MEV)
Humans have done so many things that are either good or bad for the body. There are those whose diets and lifestyles cultivate things detrimental to the well-being of their bodies. On the other hand, there are those who intentionally make it a point to develop and strengthen their physique.
Treating the human body right goes beyond exercise and diet, however. There are other ways we damage our health, including spiritually and emotionally. The Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. If we want to honor Him, we will treat our bodies in a way that honors Him as well.
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To help you take care of the Holy Spirit's temple – your own body – here are some things you can do.
1) Give it the Sabbath that it needs
God didn't command us to take our Sabbath rests for nothing (see Exodus 20:8). If you just keep working without resting, your body will soon give up and collapse. It needs rest, both in the physical (sleep and taking breaks) and spiritual (resting in the presence of God in worship, prayer and fasting). Give your body a break.
2) Feed it with the right kinds of food
We humans are very stubborn. It would be great if we naturally denied ourselves fatty and sugary foods to eat vegetables all of the time. But we simply don't. We usually prefer to eat rich, great-tasting foods even if it means added fat and sugar every now and then.
Of course, God doesn't want us destroying our bodies with the food that we eat (see Colossians 3:17). He originally intended man to have a diet coming from the vegetation He made (see Genesis 1:29, 2:16). It's wise to eat healthier food always.
3) Eat the right amount of food
There are some who become so obsessed with getting slimmer that they don't eat anything anymore. On the other hand, there are those who don't care about their figure and just munch away at huge amounts of food.
It's not enough to eat the right kind of food. We should also eat in moderation, just the right amounts (see Proverbs 25:16, 27). Too much sodium, oil, sugar, and other things can be very dangerous to our health.
4) Give it exercise
While some are literal workhorses that don't take the time to rest, there are those who don't even work. Sedentary lifestyles are very dangerous, not to mention conducive to laziness and lethargy. We are commanded to work and do what God wants us to do (see 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; Romans 12:11). If we are lazy, not only do we endanger our very health – we also fail to do the work that God intends for us to do.
5) Respect it as a body God made
Lastly, we must treat the human body with respect because God made it in His image (see Genesis 1:26-27).
Brothers, this means treating the human body the way God wants us to. Women aren't to be lusted after; they're to be respected. We shouldn't measure a woman by her vital statistics. Neither should we measure ourselves by the amount of abs, flabs, biceps and triceps that we have. If we're in Christ we're sons of the Almighty, and that's what counts.
Sisters, this means the same. Don't treat your body as if it's something you need to flash in order to gain attention and praise. You aren't measured by your physical beauty; if you're in Christ you're beloved daughters of the Father, and that's what matters.
