Glorifying God with our Bodies

Our bodies matter to God.

It is a rather simple statement but one Paul in Corinthians 6 wants to hammer home particularly since a number of people in Corinth were raised with the understanding that our bodies did not matter and what we did with them didn't matter in terms of our spirituality. Paul in typical Jewish fashion saw humanity holistically.You could not with the sharpest knife divide body and soul/spirit. Paul says we are honor God with our bodies or another person said, "Turn your body into a living robust rousing round of doxology."

If the Corinthians did not think enough about their bodies, we other other hand might think too much about our bodies. Diet and exercise programs are touted from every side. I cannot tell you how many infomercials I have watched on late night Television; from a plethora of Ab machines to total gyms. Whether we pay attention to our diet and exercise is a different matter but we all agree we do need to pay attention. Some of us a obsessed with our bodies. We have become gym rats or over exercise buffs. Would anyone in their right mind want to run a double marathon? We eat only organic, high fiber, low carb; foods.

There is a difference between worshiping your body and worshiping God with your body. Our culture sees the body as an end in and of itself. Paul sees God and God's kingdom as the end for the body. It is not our body that is ultimately important to God, but what we do with our body... how we use it for the kingdom's sake, that counts.

We take care of our bodies for a purpose- the whole reason we take vitamins, and try to eat right and get plenty of exercise- the whole reason we try to stay fit and trim, is so that we can physically and mentally do what God wants done- If we do not take care of our bodies we will not have the strength and the stamina to be about the work of God’s kingdom. To build the church deep and wide involves using our bodies for what God designed them for;service to God and to others. When we do that,God is glorified,and doxology breaks out.