God cares about your health
It started with an extra plate of food over the holidays. Of course, you needed another Coke or sweet tea to wash it all down. The desserts were too much to resist, so you ate a slice of each. Once the New Year started, you had every intention of hitting the gym with regular exercise, but your schedule filled up.
You got stressed. Instead of a casual drink or smoke, you took higher quantities to relax. It was hard enough to manage time and a family budget, so cooking healthy meals at home soon turned into greasy takeout meals and junk food. Maybe you even got sick from a combination of everything building up; your body just can’t take it.
These things aren’t inherently bad. Food, drink, and everything else is created by God. But He also insists we use self-control when it comes to these things. God cares not just about our souls, but our bodies as well.
Three Things We Should Know About God and Our Bodies
1. Our bodies are made in God’s image.
When God created the universe, He specifically created humanity different than any plants or animals or anything else. God created the first man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:27).
This doesn’t mean Father God has physical features like a face or a physical body. It’s a way of saying that humans especially represent the likeness of God in a way that other created beings do not. God made us specifically to be the way we are, no matter what body type, personality, or shape we may have. Nothing made by God is without purpose.
2. Our bodies belong to God.
Our bodies are temporary, but they are still a gift from God. He cares about what we do with them, not just our minds or our souls (I Corinthians 6:12-20). God didn’t create us so we could trash our bodies with substances, or excessive food, or anything else. He made us to live healthy, meaningful lives, which means we need to eat well, exercise, and practice self-control when it comes to things that could harm our bodies.
3. God wants our bodies.
Our bodies belong to God, and He’s given us these bodies to live on this earth for a temporary amount of time. So what should we do with our bodies?
The proper response to meeting Jesus and receiving His love is to worship Him (Romans 12:1). This is the purpose we are each made for. The way we worship Jesus may look different than others around us, but that’s okay. What matters is that we are using our minds, hands, feet, and our whole lives to obey Jesus and follow Him with each next step.