I spent most of my adult life dieting and exercising to lose weight to feel attractive and confident. I was never happy with the way my body looked. You name the diet; I tried it—South Beach diet, Weight Watchers, SlimFast, low carb, low fat, and more. However, I finally realized a more desirable way to live—to take care of my body as an act of worship.
Do you struggle to keep on track with exercise and healthy habits? Or are you procrastinating getting started? Knowing the truth about wellness and worship can change everything, as it did for me.
God created us
God created you exactly how He wanted you to be. He chose your physical characteristics, your natural talents, and your unique personality. So, we worship God by taking care of our bodies because He created our bodies for His purposes.
The Bible says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV). The Greek word poiēma translated handiwork, workmanship, or masterpiece occurs only twice in the New Testament. It means “a work of creation.” We are God’s masterpieces!
Jesus died for us
God sent His Son Jesus to earth to pay the price for our sin and be the ultimate sacrifice for us. In fact, Jesus had to die on a tree, the cross, to redeem us from the first sin, eating the fruit from the forbidden tree. As a result, God restored the relationship between humanity and Himself and forgave our sins, past, present, and future.
Paul writes, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” Romans 12:1 (NIV).
As Christians, God sets us apart to do His will, to serve Him, and to share the Gospel. We present our bodies as living sacrifices to serve Him. Staying healthy and strong allows us to have the stamina to do this as long as possible.
The Holy Spirit lives in us
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, God dwelling within us. How amazing! The Holy Spirit is our friend, advocate, advisor, instructor, mentor, teacher, guide, and confidant. He instructs us in God’s Word and leads us in the way we should go to live holy lives. The Bible says, “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 (NIV).
God is holy. Therefore, we must honor our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit by pursuing wellness of body, mind, and spirit.
Conclusion
Instead of diet and exercise to lose weight, look more attractive or wear a smaller size—consider wellness as worship according to God’s Word.
I know you can do it! Wellness as worship is a practice to grow faith and bring spiritual fruit, like Bible reading, prayer, worship music, scripture meditation, and fasting. We honor our bodies by eating food made by God (instead of made in a factory), exercising, lowering stress, and getting enough sleep.
Wellness is a journey. Let’s take the first step! Check out the Daniel Plan, which I have followed since 2017. If you have questions about it, please leave a comment or email me at contact@godswaytowellness.com.
I love your connection between wellness and worship. It really made me think about my lifestyle and what I’m eating. Does it glorify God? There are definitely some areas I need to work on. Thank you!
Thank you for reading, Carly. I am glad you are thinking about how God wants us to be healthy to worship Him.