Sunday Devotions - Stewardship of Health

*borrowed from the devotional book One Minute a Day

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. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I love this sign I saw hanging in an auto repair shop. It said, "If you're smoking in here, you better be on fire!" That sign is typical of the current emphasis in America on helping people to stop smoking. But shouldn 't we be just as careful about our health in other areas as well?

Just as our cars were made to run on clean fuel, so were our bodies. they need pure food, clean air, good water, lots of exercise, and peaceful hearts. Our health is a gift from God that we ought to take seriously. It's part of being a good steward of God's grace.

God has given each of us only one body. We need to treat these gifts of God with respect and appreciation.


I came across this devotion this week DR's book, One Minute a Day. I exercise a lot and I try to eat lots of vegetables and sometimes I catch a lot of flack from people for my lifestyle. I hear, "Why run? That's why we have cars!" or people think my kids are weird when they say their favorite foods are apples.

I wasn't always into healthy living. There was a time I smoked and ate all kinds of terrible things and watched too much tv but all that changed when I had kids. Suddenly it became very clear that I was in charge of someone else's health, someone who couldn't choose what kind of lifestyle to lead. Because I wanted my children to be healthy my lifestyle habits changed as I made good choices for them.

And you know what? I might be a "health nut" but I have more energy now than I did ten years ago. This body is not mine I am told in Corinthians. It is a gift and with any gift I receive, I'm trying to take care of and protect it.

Dear God, Thank You for my health! Thank You for the ability to make healthy lifestyle choice for myself so that I may honor the gift of this body You blessed me with. Amen.