1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 ¹⁹Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

As believers, if we truly digested what 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 mean, then I really think that we would do a better job in taking care of bodies. I know this is not a popular topic in the church community, but this is a conversation that the church needs to have.  It is a principle that the church needs to apply. Put simply, we MUST be better stewards over our bodies.

The Apostle Paul was writing to the Church of Corinth because they were getting entangled in the immorality around them. He tells them that your body is a temple. This terminology was intentional because a TEMPLE should have a special meaning to God’s people.  A temple is a HOLY place. We should make every effort to clean and maintain it. Do not forget that Jesus cleansed the temple with a whip in his hand and drove out people who were abusing it for their selfish gain.

You see, when we transform our minds – I mean really start thinking about the importance of body maintenance on this higher plane, then you will begin to see the importance of having a body that is in good condition. A well-maintained temple enables you to FULLY carry out your God given purpose. When you make that mental shift, you will start to treat your body like the temple that it is, instead of treating it like a trashcan and allowing anything or anybody to enter it.

Our spiritual lives and physical bodies are interrelated – they are intimately connected. We must glorify God in our body and in our spirit. Your body is a holy place because the Holy Spirit dwells there. Your body is the vehicle that your spirit uses to communicate.  What does that mean to you practically?It should mean that you see your body as the base of operations that God uses to work in the lives of people around you.Look at Your body as the headquarters for the Holy Spirit-He takes up residence in you.

Remember, you were bought with a price!Your body – your temple – should be used to worship and serve the true and living God.So many people have a flawed or warped view of humanity. Many believe that we exist here for our personal pleasure (so you take in excess anything that you long for because it brings you pleasure). This was the Corinthians worldview, and this is the same worldview that many of us have in our society today. As believers, we should understand that we cannot lock the Holy Spirit up in a little room and take him out on Sunday or in certain situations. We must give him the keys to all the rooms in our temple. We need to take the Holy Spirit to the dinner table and have him help us to stay out of the drive-thru windows!

Your body is the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, God’s dwelling place. It was “bought with a price” because of Jesus redemptive work on the cross. So please do not say it does not matter what I do to my body, or that I will just focus on my spirit. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE ONE PACKAGE! God holds your very breath in his hand – you cannot claim any independence – this body is not yours. Jesus paid for it with His blood. So, you need to be good a steward over your body. Just like we are stewards over God’s money and should honor him in our tithes and offerings, you also should also honor God’s body.

So don’t you want to make lifestyle choices that reflect that great truth?

When it comes to health, we have been misguided and bombarded with so many fad diets. I just ask that you get the information that you need to make an informed choice. I am a plant-based health coach and I have been vegan for almost 20 years. It is common knowledge that plant based eating is healthy. You may decide that you want to be plant dominant versus plant exclusive. That choice is yours. I would like to encourage you all to work your way into fueling your physical body with whole foods, instead of processed foods. My prayer for you reading this is to see your body as God’s see it – as His temple. So, let us clean it up and maintain it the way we know we should.

Be healthy in Mind, Body, and Spirit, 

Lovee – The Plant Based Health Coach