Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
So if our bodies belong to God, what can we conclude? How can I use my body, the Temple of His Holy Spirit, in a way that honors Him? In Romans 12:1-2, Paul urges us to use our bodies as living sacrifices. We are to discipline our bodies; to whip them into shape; to avoid the things that will harm them and do things to build them up… and for what purpose? Because when we do those things we honor God.
The natural end of Paul’s argument is that I can worship God through eating, through drinking, through exercising, through studying, or through anything else that I do with Him in sight. When I do these things “God’s way,” I honor Him… which makes these actions of worship. Anything I do to please God, with His pleasure as my ultimate goal, is a form of worship.
The downfall of the Christian, in matters of the body, happens when we attempt to separate its stewardship from our relationship with Christ. When we attempt to keep those areas of life separate we hold back important areas from our Creator, while also ignoring the principles He has given us. When we do that, we damage our bodies and our hearts… which keeps us from growing into the people God has called us to be.
Do a SWOT analysis on these two areas in your life (mind, body). (SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).
S: What aspect of taking care of your body are you good at?
W: What is weak right now in terms of your stewardship of your body?
O: What is the most accessible resource available to you to help you overcome that weakness?
T: What is the biggest obstacle you face in taking care of the body God gave you for His glory?
S:
W:
O:
T:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.