3 Ways to Love the Lord with Your Body
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- Updated Jul 12, 2022
Our bodies are the most tangible forms of ourselves. We also are made up of a heart that feels, a soul that connects with our spiritual selves, and a mind that helps us reason. Our bodies are what we see, feel, hear, and process this world with. It is the flesh that God formed from dust and breathed life into. Our bodies are profoundly important.
The Bible articulates the significance of our bodies in many places. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 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.” God calls us temples of the holy spirit! He calls us his. He tells us we are valuable because God gave so much so we could find freedom here on Earth in the skin we are currently in.
The culture understands how key our bodies are to how we feel, our sense of worth, pleasure, comfort, shame, and health. Basically, from every angle we are being shouted at with different messages about how we should view our flesh and bones. We are told they are the boss of us, when we do something that makes our bodies feel good, that is what we should follow. That is our god.
Others are telling us we should live in shame over what our bodies look like. We should never stop striving for that perfect shape, color, style, hair, and more. This message seeps into our minds so much younger than we can even imagine. Studies show that children as young as three can begin to develop body image issues. On the flip side, we may let pride over how well we manage our bodies or on how we look trip us up too.
No wonder we are all confused, struggling to find the right way to be in a body as a believer. The devil is on the move distracting us from God’s message that we are his, valuable and perfect. It’s important that Christ-followers begin to change the narrative that is being taught through the culture to our children and even affects our own worldviews. Our bodies are fundamental in living out our love for God.
Here are some ways that we can begin loving God with our bodies:
1. Break Up with Body Shame
Shame is a tactic of the enemy that he uses to overwhelm us. When I am ashamed of my habits, my shape, the way I look, or my lack of physical abilities then I get stuck. This negative self-talk keeps me from choosing to participate in using myself for God’s glory.
The reality is that there is a responsibility that comes with being a person. We can choose to cultivate habits that bring health or ones that may lead to less desirable outcomes. Wherever you are on that spectrum, God loves you and the body that he created for you.
He wants us to honor our bodies with our habits because he wants us to be free from shame and he wants us to enjoy this tent he has given us as much as we can. When we approach our diet and lifestyle goals we need to break up with the message of the world that says you need to do this because you are failing or aren’t good enough or are unlovable. These are lies, you are loved! You are enough! And you are beautiful!
Let’s invest in our health, in caring for ourselves, feeding ourselves well, moving our bodies, allowing space to rest, and making room for community because we want to be good stewards of the gift of life God has given us. We don’t have to be compelled by shame but can see our daily movement or our green salad for lunch as a choice that we make because we know we are so loved. A great resource to help you begin this journey is Revelation Fitness. They see faith as the why for self-care and help you on your journey towards freedom in the body God has given you.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tinnakorn Jorruang
2. See Your Body as a Vessel of Worship
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our bodies are connected to our spiritual journeys. What we do with our bodies matters to God.
When we begin to view how we use our bodies as a matter of worship we gain a healthy lens to filter our desires through. Proverbs 14:12 warns. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” Basically, we can’t trust ourselves because if we just follow our own whims without pausing to consider how they line up with God’s Word or way we can find ourselves stuck in dark places. God didn’t give us a Bible with instructions to prohibit us but to help protect us. He knows that our hearts are filled with sin and we need help to keep ourselves out of the depths of evil that we see all across this Earth.
His lens of truth that we find in the Bible guides us and tells us that we should be careful what we consume (Ephesians 5:18), it gives us parameters on how our sexuality should be expressed (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), it instructs us to be mindful about what we watch avoiding worthless things (Psalm 101:3), God encourages us to use kind words because our tongues are powerful (Ephesians 4:29), and more! Basically, our bodies are the way we express our faith. Every part of how we use them is a part of our worship to God. When we see our lives this way, we realize the grace that comes into our lives when we walk surrendered to God and not to our own sinful passions.
3. Embrace Rest as Part of God’s Design
Our culture is obsessed with being busy! I confess that even though my family has made the intentional choice to homeschool in order to help slow the pace of our lives, we still get caught up in doing and going. God continuously humbles me by letting me reach my breaking point over and over but then allowing me to come back to him again as I ask for forgiveness for thinking I can manage my life on my own without his help.
The reality is I am a very broken person and I absolutely need space, rest, help, and grace to live my life God’s way. My pride stops me from honoring this unavoidable truth and I don’t think I am alone in this very real daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly struggle. God’s Word lays out the principle of Sabbath for a very important reason: God wants us to honor our limits and recognize our need for His strength in our lives.
You need a rhythm that includes daily time to rest and connect with the Lord. This can look like morning coffee, reading, and journaling. Oftentimes for me, this looks like 30 minutes of moving my body and praying. Whatever it looks like for you it should be a time of daily rest and connection with our living God.
We need a weekly Sabbath. This is a day of worship and relaxation. How many of us fill up all 7 days of the week with plans and work? I know I am guilty but we need one day where our souls are encouraged through community worship and where our day has space in it.
An annual time of retreat is so valuable to your health. There are studies that tell us that vacation time helps replenish us. Vacation improves our physical and mental health. It helps us combat burnout, boosts our happiness, and builds up our family ties. We need rhythms of rest in our lives.
Romans 12:1-2 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Our bodies are a living sacrifice to our Creator God. We were knit together by him in our mother’s wombs. God made us so we could know Him and bring his light into his world.
Related: Listen to our FREE podcast, Get Your Brave On with Amanda Carroll! You can find all of our episodes at LifeAudio.com.
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