Ultimately, whether we decide to be good stewards of our bodies or not is a matter of personal choice, like so many things in life. It is just a decision away from the next time we tuck into a fatty hamburger and sugar laden drink, or decide to walk up the stairs instead of taking the lift.

Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper writes in his book Faith-based Fitness: "I told the crowd (240,000 at a Billy Graham crusade in Brazil) that I had recently become more convinced than ever that each of us is designed to be a flesh and blood temple of God. Our charge on earth is to serve Christ and our fellow man, to exercise our gifts and talents to the maximum—and to care for all the assets God has given us, including our bodies.

"Christians believe, quite rightly, that the spiritual dimensions of their lives are of supreme importance. But then they proceed to the assumption that their physical bodies are unimportant, and may be neglected with impunity.

"They fail to understand that their spiritual lives ... are closely connected with the conditions of their bodies. If the body begins to break down, the person may lack the endurance and energy required to serve others, stay in a good mood, or even spend extended periods in prayer."

Nourish And Cherish Your Body

Gary F. Zeolla, in an article entitled Should Christians be Concerned About Physical Fitness, quotes the Apostle Paul as saying that no one ever hates his own body, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church (Eph. 5:28-30). Your body is a 'good' and wonderful gift from God. It is capable of miraculous feats, if properly taken care of. And with God the Holy Spirit living inside your 'temple,' how can you not take care of it?

"... Your service for the Lord will suffer if your health begins to break down ... It takes just as long to eat an apple as it does a candy bar. It is just a matter of food choices ... As for exercise, it is not needful or even desirable to put in long hours at the gym. A basic level of physical fitness can be attained in as little as 30 minutes three or four times a week.

"As people get into better shape ... the end result is increased, not decreased productivity. Moreover, healthy habits will very possibly increase one's life span, thus increasing the number of years one has to serve the Lord.

"Paul said: 'But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection' (1 Cor. 9:27). The key word here is 'discipline.' Starting and maintaining a proper diet and exercise program involves, more than anything else, discipline and caring enough for yourself ... to take care of yourself."

A Question Of Choice

It is ultimately a question of choice and balance. We can choose to take the steps necessary to keep our bodies healthy and productive and our minds positive and energetic, or we can slouch along and end up as sad, dispirited "couch potatoes" whose constant cry is the all-too-familiar "if only" ...

In his article, Gary Zeolla posts a timely warning that we should avoid the two extremes. At one extreme, is the person who doesn't care at all about diet and exercise and at the other extreme is the person who becomes obsessed by exercise and food restrictions, ultimately turning their bodily care into almost a religion.

"A balanced concern for diet and exercise is needful, so that Christians will have the vigor to serve God and our fellow human beings," he concludes.

Let us be reminded above all else that our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and that our body is not our own to do with as we want. God bought us with the inestimably, unthinkably high price of the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we are His workmanship, designed and created to do His good works (Eph. 2:10).

Just as we must feed our spirit with the Word of God, and exercise it in prayer and meditation, so must we feed our body with good, healthy food and exercise it in a sensible and sustained regime of physical activity.

Couch potatoes are, after all, not a "fruit of the Spirit"!

~END~