‘Honour God with your body.’ 1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT
To get the most out of the time God has given you on earth, you may need to get into better shape physically. The Bible says, ‘Honour God with your body.’
How do you do that?
(1) Change your diet. Many of us eat for the wrong reasons—like stress, boredom, fatigue, anger, depression, and low self-esteem. Try to get to the root of your problem. Insufficient fruit, vegetables, and fibre, and too much fast food can wreak havoc with your health. Practise self-control. ‘Those who belong to Christ… have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do.’ (Galatians 5:24 NCV)
(2) Start exercising. The secret is to start slowly. Take the stairs instead of the lift, park your car and walk, play ball with your kids instead of watching TV. God designed your body to move, and that doesn’t mean strolling from your car to your desk every morning. Exercising three times a week for thirty minutes will reduce your blood pressure and stress, and boost your sense of well-being. Come on, get with it!
(3) Go to bed earlier. Pastor Tony Jenkins consulted his doctor about his wife’s snoring. ‘Does it really bother you that much?’ the doctor asked. ‘It’s not just me,’ Jenkins replied. ‘It’s bothering the whole congregation!’ Seriously, you require eight hours of shut-eye. You can probably get by on less, but do you want to just ‘get by’? The psalmist said, ‘It is no use for you to get up early and stay up late… The Lord gives sleep to those He loves.’ (Psalm 127:2 NCV) So, turn off the TV and the computer and turn in at a reasonable hour. The word for you today is: take better care of your body!
SoulFood: Rev 15–18, Mt 21:33–46, Ps 136:13–26, Prov 6:32–35
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2023
