Love, of self, God and others

2 Corinthians 6:15-20

I read this scripture and looked beyond the clearly stated command, that is ; to flee from sexual immorality because my body is a temple of the most High God, bought with a price.

Yes, we must flee from uniting our bodies with people who are not our spouse. This morning, I am led to examine this principle further, to see how God asking us to guard our physical temple in the area of Sex can be extended beyond that.

We Christians are very quick to jump on this bandwagon concerning sex, and I know it is an important issue that must be addressed. I am asking myself to think about the fact that unhealthy eating and lifestyle practices are also a violation of the temple God gave us. Is it on the same scale as sex with the wrong person? I don't know. I believe however that an ungodly  thought life, as well as anything whatsoever that will cause damage through our own neglect or action to this (temple) body is against God's will.

Bear in mind that we are the only created thing that He formed with His own hands, and breathed life into. All others came into being by His spoken word....'let there be....'

In creating us in His own image He gave us His spiritual DNA including the most powerful tool on earth....the mind of Christ! 

The mind of Christ for me is like the nuclear warhead of my arsenal of God given weapons!

Thus, we are  supposed to let that mind of Christ rule our thoughts, our psyche, our spirit, so that we will choose things that do not defile this (temple) body. This is the hard part, as I know that it is a constant struggle to overcome various temptations. We all know that there are more temptations about us than we can count or imagine. One of the ones that jumps into my mind this morning is that I have recently fallen into the habit of not exercising save for once in a while. The difference is clear, I don't exercise because I feel unwell, I feel unwell because I don't exercise, a vicious cycle has begun. Again! I have been here before, so perhaps I should look at that and view it as big a temptation as any.

Not exercising is a temptation that is in complete opposition to what the manufacturer intended when he created this wonderful, complex organic system called the human body. If a heart has been designed to pump blood and nutrients round an 80kg body, and it is now 150kg, it is a no brainier that there will be trouble, with that heart, or the skeletal frame that is now carrying double its intended capacity. 

Almost every health challenge has been proven to be improved by exercise, and the only way to keep fit if you have no health challenge is to exercise. 

We accept that our spirit man must 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling'. I am thinking that I must work out my body's physical salvation as well. The physical temple is the one that provides a habitation for the spirit man, therefore, it is important to look after it.

It is so important to know that the enemy will use our family's health pre-dispositions combined with the results of our own inclinations and attitudes to do his best to kill you, either before your time or slowly through one health challenge or another. Slowly sapping away your ability to do that which the Godly DNA from whence we came dictates.

This brings me to another round of introspection and self examination , and realizing that God provided clear direction for me in the valley of the shadow of death so many times, such that , at the worst points of my physical challenges, He put praise and prayer in my mouth and filled my heart with joy. This can only be God, and His immeasurable love that He has bestowed on me-freely. This can only be God moving me to find ways of preserving my physical body.  I am so keenly aware that self preservation is my no.1 priority because carrying out the purpose(s) of my life depends on this. So also, when the scripture says love your neighbour as yourself, I think The Father is asking us to look within, to examine the evidence of how much we love ourselves. Only when we understand how much we love ourselves, can we love others accordingly. Only when we fully realise the import of the fact that we have only one skeletal system, one body to use for this our life's journey. Only when we look within to examine how much we have embraced , accepted and understood the magnitude of the love God has for us, can we pour out that love to others.

Only then can we be channels of His supreme blessing, that which is Our creators most popular alias LOVE.

His love in us, poured out to others means that my actions must be governed by this. 

Am I saying the best Valentine gift you can give yourself is a workout? Maybe not, but it is worth thinking about new ways to take care of your (temple) body, as an act of love, and then going further to share that love with others.
I just did!