You Are God's Temple: Devotions From Time of GraceSample

Honor God by Taking Care of His Temple: Getting some exercise

Some of my ancestors were pioneer farmers in the Midwest. How they would have howled with laughter to see today’s treadmills to walk on and bicycles to ride that never go anywhere. How they would laugh to see gyms with progressive resistance machines and racks and racks of free weights. Before automobiles, you didn’t need a treadmill for an aerobic leg and lung workout. When you had grubbed out two or three tree stumps in a day, you didn’t need to go home and pump iron.

That was then. Today God doesn’t expect us all to be bodybuilders or marathon runners. But he does expect us to care for our bodies and maintain them--after all, they are a place of residence for him and useful and necessary for the important role you play. Paul wrote, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16,17).

Appreciate your health. Keep that blood pressure down. Burn up everything you eat. We need you at full strength!