Our bodies...

Today, I read Romans 12:1-2 (TNIV) with much conviction.

"(Verse1)Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. (Verse2) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God. 2 aspects of it:

1. Health - the epitome of a living sacrifice.

We always forget that it's not enough to merely give our time, gifts and hearts to the Lord. I know of many devoted Christians who are sadly battling all kinds of lifestyle-related diseases, due to neglect of their bodies and health. Diabetes mellitus type 2 and its many complications, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancers, kidney failure, osteoarthritis secondary to obesity, etc. The list goes on and on. Apalling diets in which fat-laden, sugar-laden, high-calorie food dominate, lack of exercise, long-term insufficient sleep (of course we can't help having late nights ocassionally), neglect of skin-care/eye-care, and ineffective stress management - in the long run, these jeopardize our health and bodies badly.

As a result, we become a bunch of run-down looking, disease-swamped individuals, whose bodies are nowhere near being 'living' sacrifices. Impractical for strenuous work of any kind, not strong enough to bear daily workloads, unable to tolerate long road-trips or mission-trips into the jungles and merely... wasting away. To make no mention of all the money and resources we would have to now spend on life-long specialists' consultations, specially tailored diets and medications, when these could all have been given to build God's Kingdom. I know the bodies we dwell in are temporary. But we've got to dwell in something while we live out God's purposes on this earthly side of eternity! Even as we lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven where no moth or rust destroy!

Why should we offer to God sacrifices which cost us nothing? (2 Samuel 24:24) While we work diligently at our spiritual walks, let us not be over-spiritual and subsequently neglect the stewardship of these bodies God has given us to live in. This is our spiritual act of worship. (See Romans 12:1, TNIV - "True worship") Do not be deceived! It is the lie of the Enemy that tells us that we can be spiritually healthy without being physically healthy. We don't have to be Christians to know that 'A healthy body makes a healthy mind.' Why, I even learnt that in primary school! All the way from Standard One. Badan cergas, otak sihat! In fact, the devil knows that once he gets us to neglect our healths, our spiritual walks would in time suffer the consequences of it.

To summarize... A healthy body (our 'outer man') prepares us a healthy mind, ready for renewal... so that our 'inner man' may be transformed (Rom 12:2) and thus be able to test and approve what God's will is... His good, pleasing and perfect will.

I love what a brother mentioned to me once - "You need a healthy body to do the work of God!"

This has got to take some discipline. I will not go into lengthy details of this - we can find really great self-help books from the health section of any bookstore. But please, do go and find out how we can take better care of our health and bodies. Shun all the stuff and bad habits that cause physical or physiological damage.

*Promises self to try and cut out fast-food, processed foods and junk-food; sleep earlier and exercise at least 4 times a week*


2. Our bodies - a Temple Of His Dwelling

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20) - '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.'

According to Romans 12:1, we've not only got to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God - but they've got to be holy and pleasing. In other words, we have to keep our bodies in such a manner that they would honor God.

3 things that corrupt the temple of God for starters:

• sexual immorality. 1 Cor 6:18 NIV - 'Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.'
• profanity of the mouth. James 3:5-6 NASB - 'So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.' Crude language, cursing, ungodly conversations, vulgarities, using the name of the Lord in vain, etc. You get the drift.
• sins of the heart. Primary or secondary. Matthew 15:16-20 NIV - ' "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean' "...'

Flee from those mentioned above! Let us honour God with our bodies. May they be pleasing sacrifices to Him. Holy, acceptable and undefiled.