"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
David declares to us in Psalm 139:13-14:
"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well."
I love these verses! I know the human body is the masterpiece of God! He is the great Creator of all things, and I greatly appreciate His creation. But we are the children of God. He formed each one of us, and made us in His image. If we believe that, as I do, it motivates me to care for my body. It is a form of worship to Him. I serve in the health and fitness field as a result of this belief. I am very thankful for my body. It has served me well birthing and nursing four children, and has enabled me to be an endurance athlete all my adult life. I love attempting the impossible according to my natural abilities as I trust in the Lord to make me more than I am. All glory and honor does go to Him, because I have never run a mile without Him. I have never done triathlons, marathons, ultra runs, backpacking trips, etc. without acknowledging what His Word says. I believe we limit ourselves when we choose to live within the limitations we have placed on our bodies. When you are a child of God you are not called to live within your natural limitations, but to allow Him to be your strength. I am fully convinced there is nothing He loves more than showing Himself strong in His children. As much as I love the outdoor adventures in His creation, without sharing it with Him, it would have eventually become empty like everything else.
He has received glory from my exploits for those who know me personally and observe my life, because they have seen Him continually put me back together over and over. He not only puts me back together, but He holds me together as my body continues to age. We are told in Colossians 1:16-17:
"For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
I acknowledge apart from Him I can do nothing as my Savior proclaimed, and apart from Him I don’t want to do anything. I don’t only need Him; I want Him. I love Him.
My devotionals address the church, but they are written for all to glean from. As believers we are told our bodies are a temple. Our bodies house the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Take time to meditate on this truth. It will hopefully change what, and how much we put inside of your body, what we expose your body to, what we allow our ears to hear, and what we set before our eyes. We are to care for our bodies out of a heart of gratitude and love for Him. It is the only motivation strong enough to help me have self control and discipline in my life needed to accomplish this. What is motivating you in the care you are giving your
body?
Paul declares we are not our own any longer; we have been bought with a great price. Therefore we are to glorify God with our bodies. That means we can no longer live to please our flesh. We must live with self control which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said we would know who belongs to Him by the fruit their lives bear, not the gifts of the Spirit. I am afraid we love to pursue gifts rather than the discipline and self control needed to exemplify the character of God. God’s plan is always the highest way. We cannot lean to our own understanding, but we must trust and obey what He says. It is how we truly gain an abundant life promised by Him.
What I find as my motivation is the fact I have been bought with a great price. A price we can’t begin to comprehend! You have too!
1 Peter 1:17-21 proclaims:
"If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth, knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."
If that truth doesn’t motivate you to put your hope in the One who valued you that much you have no hope! Who has ever valued you as He has, your Heavenly Father, who formed you in your mother’s womb? He sent His Son to purchase all mankind with His own perfect blood to restore His wayward children back to HImself, who is holy, holy, holy! So I ask you, "How are you conducting yourself during the time of your stay on this earth? Are we living with great reverence for our God who is so worthy?
I cling to this truth when I am not valued by others. I remind myself of who I belong to. His love and the hope He gives trumps all the pain of living in this world. He doesn’t just constantly heal my wounds you can see, but more importantly for me is the ones no one sees but Him. We will be judged by a just, impartial God who knows and sees everything about us. He can, and will make every wrong, right. We can be cleansed and forgiven for anything we are willing to truly repent of because of our Savior’s obedience to the Father.
I pray we all will grasp the truth of His love, and allow it to be your motivation to develop discipline and self control to care for our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. It fills my heart with gratitude for my body, as I realize how much it means to Him. Remember, we are His masterpiece! Every life has great value. Meditate on the price that was paid to redeem each one of us. Let us give back to Him a temple that truly glorifies Him and reflects His character. Allow your temple to make a difference, and be filled with His love.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? Yes, now you do know! Act on it! "
In His love.
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
276-237-6680
I love living in the country! Never know what you might find running in the big outdoors. The ice formation was pretty along Elkhorn road, and we were showered with a crop of spaghetti squash along both sides which made running quite a challenge dodging them in the snow and ice!
