“Do you not 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.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
God Lives in You
Right before writing this devotional, I was texting back and forth with Sam Johnson, one of the team chaplains for the San Antonio Spurs. One of the many things I admire about Sam is that he serves the Lord tirelessly. Also, he works out regularly as an act of stewardship. He even looks half his age.
When you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit set up residence inside of you. Yes, God lives in you. Your body is the Holy Spirit’s temple. In a world where people worship their bodies, Christians are called to worship God with their bodies. The end of 1 Corinthians 6:20 reads, “Therefore honor God with your bodies.” Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we become a living and breathing place of worship. We must be good stewards of the temple.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the Apostle Paul is arguing against having sex before or outside of marriage because our bodies belong to God and the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. But the principle of honoring God with our bodies applies to eating healthy, getting adequate rest, managing stress and exercising. Just like we manage our time, treasures and talents, we must manage our temple.
We can abuse and neglect our bodies, or care for them and invest in them. As you are on the field or on the court, remember, your body belongs to God and He lives inside of you.
— Ikki Soma, Houston Rockets chaplain
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