Saturday, September 1, 2012

Your Body is a Temple


1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV): Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
    Paul was talking specifically about sexual immorality in this passage, but it reminds us that our bodies are not our own – they belong to God. He purchased them with a high price. Since the Holy Spirit lives in our bodies once we become believers, we are obligated to take care of these bodies. Paul says our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
I want to share with you the journey I have been on with my temple.
I had always been fairly active. As a journalist and then youth minister, I never sat much. But then I got a desk job and sat all day. Worse, I enjoyed candy bars and sweet tea. I was a disaster waiting to happen. My doctor, Dr. Wayne Brown, spotted this. My blood sugar was high and my blood pressure was even higher.
I grew more and more tired and sluggish. I couldn't walk through the buildings I worked in without getting winded.
Then Dr. Brown told me I was diabetic. He put me on blood pressure medicine, which made me dizzy at times when I stood up. I knew I had to do something. God knew it too. He gave me a new job. Now, I'm on my feet all day. I lift computers and carry them here and there. I get in the floor and set them up. I'm much more active. Sometimes I complain about it, but it may have saved my life.
I also went to work on my diet. I cut out the sweet tea and candy bars and watch other sugar and carbs. I do give myself a treat of mini dark-chocolate bites, but in moderation. I only drink diet cola. Mostly, I drink water. I snack on raw almonds and unflavored pork rinds.
I had blood work done this week to see how I was doing. Dr. Brown called my wife and said my numbers were "wonderful". He told me to keep doing what I'm doing. My blood pressure is down, I can take a smaller dose of medicine, I've lost 16 pounds, and I'm no longer diabetic. The best part is I feel better than I have in a long time. I tell you this to encourage you to cut out the sugar, get active, and take care of your temple too. After all, the Holy Spirit needs a good place to call home.

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