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At the beginning of a New Year thoughts often turn to New Year’s resolutions. But as these “statements of intent” are often broken within days of making them I won’t dwell too long on that delicate subject. Besides, will power alone is often not enough to bring about the kind of lasting changes we would like to see in our lives. It’s much easier, and far less hassle, to take the line of least resistance and carry on as before promising ourselves that we will make those changes sometime in the future! And just like us so too the Apostle Paul also felt that inner voice gnawing away at his resolve to change course and mend his ways: for what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do he says in that kind of frustrated desperation that many of us could echo (Roms. 7:15). Yet I’m sure that deep down most of us really would like to eat less, exercise more, leave the car at home more often and walk, get into a smaller dress size, give up smoking, have more energy, look good and feel better. And with Christmas behind us now is perhaps as good a time as any to make a start! For let’s face it as a nation many of us are overweight, unfit and dare I say it “lazy!” – eating too much, drinking too much, sitting around too much and pressing the remote control too much. Binge drinking is a growing problem particularly among young people (especially girls) many of whom end up in hospital casualty departments drunk and on the way to suffering long-term liver damage. According to one recent study girls between 11 and 13 are consuming almost double the amount of alcohol they were seven years ago. And this is only the tip of an even bigger ice-berg. For when the nation’s appetite for fast-food is taken into account the picture becomes even more depressing. Obesity is a growing problem which if started in childhood may result in diseases such as diabetes and liver damage. Apparently, obesity has taken over from alcohol as the main cause of liver disease with adults needing liver transplants at a much earlier age. And yet the Bible challenges this view of the body as little more than a dustbin with the claim that: your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) - a sobering thought that places an obligation on us all to honour our bodies and treat them with respect. And this makes practical sense if we want to stay fit and healthy and live a full and active life. But a holy body? Really? Why not? Solomon’s Temple was a high specification building built as THE dwelling place of God by highly skilled craftsmen with the best materials that money could buy. It was a holy place filled with utensils that were set aside from common use and dedicated solely to the service of God.
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And in a similar way our bodies too reflect the magnificence of that Temple wherein dwells the Holy Spirit. We are not our own to do with our bodies as we please but were bought with a price that of the blood of Jesus Christ. And because we belong to him it is right that we honour him by eating and drinking sensibly and keeping our bodies in good shape - fit for purpose and ready to serve. So, with the new year only a few weeks old it’s time to get out that dusty old rowing machine, or maybe take a brisk walk or perhaps pump up the tyres on that rusting bike stored in the shed! Yet as all good self-help books caution consult your doctor first! Happy New Year – and, Oh yes! “Good Health.” Cheers!
In Jesus’ name
Derek Marsh February 2008
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