I have been preaching on a sermon series about Maintaining a Balanced Life and have dealt with the topics of mental, physical and spiritual balance in the last three weeks. In this post, I would like to share with you some principles on maintaining balance physically.
First of all, I just would like to say that God wants us to be healthy. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in perfect health. The Old Testament is full of rules and regulations about health. Jesus spent much of His ministry healing people. He was concerned about physical health.
1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “Therefore glorify God in your body.” But how do we honor God? By using our bodies for God’s glory and honoring Him through it by taking care of it, respecting it and protecting it.
Now, what should our motivation be in doing this? There are actually physical and spiritual reasons. Most of us are aware of the physical reasons which are:
- We’ll feel better. If we take care of our body, we’ll feel better. We’ll have more energy, fewer pains. We’ll be more alert, less depressed. Somebody said, “Health is what makes today feel like the best day of the year”
- We’ll look better. We’ll have better complexion, look more attractive, develop a stronger self-esteem and have more confidence.
- We’ll live longer. There are countless studies that show people in shape live longer.
The spiritual reasons are:
1. God made our bodies.
Psalm 139:13-16 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”
2. Jesus paid for our bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
When Christ died on the cross, He paid for us. That includes not only the soul but the body as well. He bought us. So in a sense, physical fitness is a stewardship issue. Your body is really on loan. Jesus paid for it and died for it.
3. The Holy Spirit lives in my body.
1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
This is true if you have come to a point in your life where you admitted your sinfulness before God and asked Him to forgive you of your sins, trusted Jesus alone to save you and committed your life to Him to make Hi the Boss and Manager of your life. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit indwells believers.
If God made my body and Jesus died for my body and the Holy Spirit lives in my body, then I better do the best I can to make it a worthy temple.
How do you do that?
Here are six practical but Biblical tips to have physical balance:
1. Maintain your ideal weight. Scientists know that you have an ideal weight based on your bone structure and your height (BMI of Body Mass Index). You can check this online and you have to base it on your height. Did you know that people who claim for disability appeal are growing younger by the year?
2. Balance your diet. That means controlling the quality and the quantity of the food we eat.
3. Commit yourself to a regular exercise program. Most of us are convinced of this but not committed. A common excuse is, “I don’t have time.” My response is, “Do you have time to be sick?” If you do not find time to exercise, you will be forced to find time to be sick. But don’t make the common mistake of overdoing it at the start. Don’t try to get in shape and do it in one session.
4. Get the right amount of sleep and rest. Rest is so important that God put it in the Ten Commandments. He said every seventh day you rest. Jesus, in Mark 6:30-32, insisted that His disciples take a vacation. He took them to the desert. He said, “Come apart for a while. We’re going to go out to the desert.”
5. Avoid taking in stuff that is bad for your body. This covers substances like alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, drugs, etc.
6. Live in harmony with God. Our emotions have a tremendous effect on our physical health just like our physical health has a tremendous effect on our emotions. You cannot fill your life with guilt and worry and bitterness and anger and fear and expect to be in optimum health. A heart at peace gives life to the body.
What is peace of mind? It comes from two things. Peace of mind comes from a clear conscience and a purpose for living. When you have those two things your health is going to improve.
