Glorifying God – Personal sacrifice

I am amazed at how some people treat their bodies. I have been remodeling my house and practically every worker smokes cigarettes. I have talked to them about it, and to a person they realize how destructive smoking is to their body, but they do it anyway. They do not use ear protection when using loud equipment. They do not wear masks when generating dust, and they do not protect their eyes when they are chipping away at concrete irrespective of the chips splattering their faces. They do not seem to care about their bodies.

Overeating is just as destructive as smoking and even more prevalent in our society. The average person in the U.S. weighs 25 LBS. more than they did in 1960. Overeating leads to diabetes, heart problems, and assorted other maladies and is second only to smoking in causing deaths in our population. The CDC has labeled it a disease. I do not believe that it is a disease. It is a choice just like homosexuality is a choice. If overeating is a disease, why hasn’t it spread to Japan and other countries where the population is not overweight? Eating sensibly requires some self-denial and most Americans do not want to deny themselves anything when it comes to good food.

Lying on the beach soaking up sun without sun block is bad too and skin cancer is next in being a leading cause of death. The vanity of looking tall, tan, and lovely leads to melanoma, not the idealist life of the Baywatch crowd. And then there is alcohol. Our society is plagued to Biblical proportions with the devastating results of those who drink to excess. The result: Tragic loss of life from alcohol related car crashes, broken homes, abuse of children and spouses, liver disease, loss of jobs, hangovers, and on and on. How many people do you know that do not drink to excess on occasion?

The Bible has something to say about our physical condition and how we should take care of ourselves. It tells us that our body is a temple unto God and that the Holy Spirit actually resides there. We should not do anything to defile it. We are to emulate Jesus. That means we should take care of ourselves. I cannot envision Jesus as being a half naked sunburned fat hog waddling along the beach with a cigarette in one hand and a beer and bag of fries in another. Eat sensibly, exercise, and particularly on Sunday, get some rest. Treat your body like a temple of God. You will feel better, live longer, and please God. Remember we as Christians belong to God now, and we were bought at a great price.


1 Cor. 19
Or do you not know that your
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from
God, and you are not your own?
For you were bought at a price;
therefore glorify God in your body
and in your spirit, which are God’s.

How well do you know the Bible?
What is the greatest gift?
1 Cor, 13 -.1:13


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