While I wait in line at the grocery store, I see tons of magazines with headlines telling me to lose weight, or look better in a bikini. Upon checking my Twitter feed, Women’s Health Magazine and Glamour Magazine provide me with tips on enhancing my looks by buying expensive makeup products and “How to get flat abs.” But who are we really pleasing? Is it that guy you’ve had an eye on in Organic Chemistry, or the girl you’ve been admiring in choir?
We may all have different reasons for wanting to stay fit, (or not). One thing I consider is that our body was given to us. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,
“Do you 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; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
In other words, my body is not of my own; it belongs to God. He refers to our bodies as temples, or places of worship. This verse literally tells us that our bodies are instruments of worship. Wouldn’t you want to take good care of our source of worship? God gave us our bodies, and we are to love it, no matter what our shape or size. But He also tells us,
“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” Isaiah 55:2 (NIV)
God wants us to eat what is beneficial to our bodies. He is talking about physical nourishment to an extent, but also about mental nourishment—hanging around people that bring each other up, watching television shows, videos and reading books with a moral that is encouraging to our lives.
When I workout, I often think, am I doing this for myself? For God? Or for someone or something else? We need to constantly be asking ourselves, are we working out for the right reasons?
