“Do 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;” 1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV
I like this verse because it reminds me that God is always with me since He lives inside of me. When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live in my heart. This brings me comfort knowing that God is always with me and that there is no where I can go that God will not be.
I also realize when I read this verse, that I am to take care of my body because it is a gift from God and the Holy Spirit is living inside of it. Now, I am the last person to lecture anyone about nutrition and exercise, so in regards to treating our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit that they are, I am going to say that I am trying to change what I put in my body and how much I move my body on a daily basis. I also believe that when we talk about watching what we put in our bodies that it is not simply food that can be destructive.
The entertainment we watch, the music we listen to and the influences we allow in our lives are as important to the protection and nurturance of our bodies as food, water and exercise. Again, within those areas, there are changes that I am trying to make so further protect my mind from the enemy having any influence over me.
In regards to the last part of the verse, it sometimes makes new Christians cringe, “you are not your own”. I understand what could make them feel uncomfortable with that sentence as we are taught throughout our lives to be independent and to not let anyone have that much control over us. My encouragement for anyone who has that reaction to the idea of the Creator of the world having control over you, is to study God’s word, talk your concerns out with mature Christians, and talk to God about it.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us these miraculous bodies and then coming to live inside of them when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It is so generous of You to give Yourself to each believer that way. I pray that each one of us take seriously the concept that our bodies are Your temples and we should treat them as such. Help us to listen to Your guidance and change what needs changed in each of our lives. I pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen