Your Body, His Temple
Solomon’s temple would have been a sight to behold, an unimaginable wonder of palatial architecture, precious metals, rich stones, and intricate detail. The Bible says the temple took almost eight years
like me, who are not overweight, but still treat their bodies poorly. Some folks enjoy cigarettes, now a known cause of cancer, which decreases one’s life expectancy by fourteen years. Others ingest sugar to the point of addiction, wreaking havoc on their body chemistry, causing depression, cavities, and skin conditions. And then there’s the other side of the coin—the foodies—who are so obsessed with what they eat that food ends up consuming much of their lives. When one focuses too much (or too little) on the health of the body, the health of the soul and spirit suffer.
Deep inside, all of us long for a healthy balanced life that includes good food, exercise, laughter, love, and relationships. Yet we are bound by various addictions, seeking solace in food, drink, exercise, sleep. God offers us freedom, but true freedom comes only in adherence to His Word. Only recently did I learn that “self-control” wasn’t in the original text as part of the fruit of the spirit. Instead, the original Greek word read “lordship.” Ah... there it is. Even as Spirit-led Believers, our “self” cannot be controlled. It is only when we make our soul (our mind, will, and emotions) submit to our spirit that we can be under His lordship, and under His lordship is wisdom, temperance, and healthy desire.
I spent much of the first night of the worship festival weeping, repenting for the poor way I had treated His temple. I asked God to give me His perspective and to lead me into healthy choices for eating, sleeping, exercising, and living. Isn’t that what all of us really want? A healthy life, lived to its fullest, so we can give love, receive love, and live out the purpose He has for us? I hope you will join me in asking honest questions, hard questions, questions that lead to surrendering to His lordship, laying down
bad habits and old addictions, and embracing a new life of freedom in Him.
To contact Lisa or follow her blog, visit LisaJenkinsMoore.com or connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ljenkinsmoore
to construct and it is estimated 180,000 laborers were involved. Solomon’s desire to honor the Lord was expressed through its construction and no expense was too great for the King of Glory. In modern American terms, the temple was built wxith at least 8 million pounds of gold and 77 million pounds of silver. Not including other expensive materials, the current value of the temple with the gold and silver alone would be about $218 billion!
A few months ago, while sitting in Presence 2017, a worship festival held in Austin and hosted by The Heart of David Movement, I heard a whisper. The voice said, “you’re killing My temple.” I recognized the voice—a significant impression in my spirit—and a feeling of conviction swept over me. As my mind centered in on the word temple, I imagined taking a sledgehammer into Solomon’s temple and swinging wildly. If Solomon’s temple were still standing, would you, I, or any God- fearing person consider such destruction?
And yet, the voice reminded me that I am now His temple—one I’ve neglected and abused. I’ve swung the sledgehammer many times over the years, disregarding the value, the precious price paid for my body. The cost of my body, your body, His temples, was God’s only Son, Jesus. We so easily forget our bodies are not our own but we
are bought with a price—the highest price of all (I Cor.6: 19, 20). We do not have permission to treat ourselves any way we like or indulge any desire of the flesh. Though we don’t like to talk about it, or even think about it, misusing our bodies is sin. God’s Word clearly tells us to avoid sexual immorality, gluttony, drunkenness, and the like— and admonishes us to be sober and aware of the enemy’s schemes (Gal. 5:21; I Pt. 5:8).
While I doubt the majority of Bible-Believing- Christ-Followers are imbibing alcohol to the point of drunkenness, or engaging in a lifestyle of sexual immorality, many of us are not honoring God’s temple. As of 2016, 38 percent of American adults were obese. Medical practitioners once defined obesity as being 20 percent over ideal weight. Now they use BMI (body mass index) which takes into account height and weight; anyone with a BMI over 30 is considered obese. Obesity is lethal to one’s health, increasing the risk for many diseases including diabetes, gall stones, heart disease, stroke, degenerative arthritis, and much more. Obesity is estimated to cut 8 to 10 years off of life expectancy and makes the years lived less enjoyable.
Obesity, of course, is not the only indicator of unhealthy living, just one of the most obvious. There are others, like me, who are not overweight, but still treat their bodies poorly. Some folks enjoy cigarettes, now a known cause of cancer, which decreases one’s life expectancy by fourteen years. Others ingest sugar to the point of addiction, wreaking havoc on their body chemistry, causing depression, cavities, and skin conditions. And then there’s the other side of the coin—the foodies—who are so obsessed with what they eat that food ends up consuming much of their lives. When one focuses too much (or too little) on the health of the body, the health of the soul and spirit suffer.
Deep inside, all of us long for a healthy balanced life that includes good food, exercise, laughter, love, and relationships. Yet we are bound by various addictions, seeking solace in food, drink, exercise, sleep. God offers us freedom, but true freedom comes only in adherence to His Word. Only recently did I learn that “self-control” wasn’t in the original text as part of the fruit of the spirit. Instead, the original Greek word read “lordship.” Ah... there it is. Even as Spirit-led Believers, our “self” cannot be controlled. It is only when we make our soul (our mind, will, and emotions) submit to our spirit that we can be under His lordship, and under His lordship is wisdom, temperance, and healthy desire.
I spent much of the first night of the worship festival weeping, repenting for the poor way I had treated His temple. I asked God to give me His perspective and to lead me into healthy choices for eating, sleeping, exercising, and living. Isn’t that what all of us really want? A healthy life, lived to its fullest, so we can give love, receive love, and live out the purpose He has for us? I hope you will join me in asking honest questions, hard questions, questions that lead to surrendering to His lordship, laying down bad habits and old addictions, and embracing a new life of freedom in Him.
To contact Lisa or follow her blog, visit LisaJenkinsMoore.com or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ljenkinsmoore
