There are probably a few hundred reasons that might motivate you to care for yourself and to be healthy. Here are five, actually four, reasons that motivate me at a really deep level… and I think that these are reasons why God would want us all to be motivated by.
- It glorifies God
- You’re taking care of your body – His temple
- It’s being a good witness
- You’ll have more energy – be better equipped for what God has planned for you
- I need your help with a 5th reason?
It Glorifies God
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that whatever we do we’re to do it to the glory of God. It also tells us in Isaiah that we were created and formed by God to glorify Him. This is our primary purpose in life – to glorify God. We do that when we care for our body and live a healthy lifestyle.
Our Body is God’s Temple and for Us to Care For
One scripture that reminds us that our body is God’s temple is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. God’s Holy Spirit lives inside a believer. After we accept Jesus into our heart, God gives us His Spirit to help us live the kind of life He wants us to live. Since God actually lives in us, Paul tells us in this verse that our body is His temple. Since God “bought” us with a high price, Jesus’ death, than we are obligated to care for our body which is His temple.
If you are not a believer in Jesus but want to join His family, read more here.
Being Healthy is Being a Good Witness
Acts 1:8 reminds us that we are to be witnesses for other people. People look for us to be models of the Christian faith. We ought to desire to live our lives in a way that represents our faith well. Taking care of our health is one way that we can be a good witness.
You’ll Have More Energy to Do God’s Work
Ephesians 2:10 helps us see that we are God’s masterpiece, created to do the good things that He had planned a long time ago for us to do. We all know that the more fit and healthy we are the more energy we will have. The more energy that we have, the more we can put into whatever task we are doing. We’ll also be better able to sustain ourself for the long haul.
What’s a 5th Reason?
What is one other reason that you think God wants us to be healthy? Comment by adding a 5th reason that you think would be pleasing to God.
Something to Reflect On
What we believe determines what we do. I suspect that if you believe what I’ve written above, and you value your relationship with God, it’s likely that you are taking good care of your body and your health.
How well are you taking care of yourself and your health?
If your relationship with God is important to you, and you’re not taking too good care of your body, could you use this post as an inspiration to better care for your body?
Sarah says
March 18, 2014 at 8:17 PM2 Chronicles 30:22
Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites regarding the skill they displayed as they served the LORD. The celebration continued for seven days. Peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people gave thanks to the LORD, the God of their ancestors.
Note: One important purpose of the peace offering was to express gratitude to God for health or for safety in times of crisis.
Dale Fletcher says
March 18, 2014 at 8:27 PMThanks for sharing your insights on this Sarah. Many blessings to you! Dale
mike says
May 5, 2016 at 8:24 AMAwesome scripture.
Angela says
October 5, 2015 at 8:58 PMThank you for this great breakdown! I’m preparing a message to give to middle school aged girls about staying active and healthy and why it’s important. This post was helpful and echoed many of the things I was already planning on pointing out. The scripture to confirm these reasons were very well thought out and I am thankful I stumbled upon this post! I use my workout time as an act of worship – I blast my worship songs and praise God while I’m working out – so I get in some “quiet” time with the Lord while I’m helping keep my body healthy.
rashanna herd says
October 9, 2015 at 9:47 PMThis is a great read. My sister and I are actually getting prepared to start a personal training company dedicated to help others spiritually and physically be prepared for the things God has designed for us as Christians to go through. Our bodies are temples of God and we do not belong to ourselves. For example, if we were to allow a friend to borrow something we greatly valued we would expect them to return in good condition. We would be hurt and disappointed if they gave it back destroyed. Therefore our bodies belong to God. Isn’t he much greater and shouldn’t we take good care of the temple that he has allowed us to borrow until he calls us home? I love this post….
Shannon Handyside says
January 22, 2016 at 2:04 PMThank you for sharing. I’m about to start teaching an exercise program at our church, and wanted to give the ladies a godly perspective on how we should be wise stewards of what He has entrusted to us.
I was also thinking about a 5th point for you, and was reminded of how God says in Genesis that He thought “it was good” when He finished creating man. It seems that He was pleased with how He had made us, and we would be wise to be faithful in caring for what He has given. 🙂
Rachael Vaccaro says
March 10, 2016 at 10:30 PMThis post is very inspirational. It brought tears to my eyes as I have recently taken my relationship with God to a higher level. I want to improve my health and eating to reflect my gratitude for all that he has given me and love I am shown daily by the Lord. Thank you so much for the encouragement.
Dale Fletcher says
March 11, 2016 at 10:17 AMHello Rachael. I don’t believe that there could be a more pure motivation for taking better care of one’s body than to be motivated by the love that God has and will continue to display to us. Our bodies are indeed a gift from God. And Jesus did pay a high price for our freedom from sin and the eternal life we receive by accepting him as our Savior. May the Holy Spirit empower you to make your desired health changes. ~ Dale
Christopher says
April 15, 2016 at 11:56 AMChrist came that we might have life more abundantly, so taking care of our “temples” only helps to serve this cause. Blessings and health to all.
Diana says
May 11, 2016 at 1:32 PMMy sister – 1 Corinthians only goes to chapter 16. If you can correct the Bible reference under Our Body is God’s Temple and for Us to Care For, that would be helpful.
Dale Fletcher says
May 11, 2016 at 2:51 PMGreat catch Diana. Thank you! Done!
Ingrid Hope says
August 10, 2016 at 9:07 AMThank you for this…. A healthy body creates a healthy mind…. a healthy mind creates good positive thinking… it will be easy to renew the mind according to scripture… Romans 12:2… 🙂 God bless you
Kegan VanSickle says
August 1, 2016 at 8:46 PMI think a good 5th reason is that staying fit, eating healthy, teaches the person discipline. This discipline translates into other areas of life, like your spiritual life.
Mr.Niteshkumar says
December 23, 2016 at 1:52 AMThanks for 5 Reasons Why God Wants Us Healthy, Well and Fit, I think the 5th Reason is, To Fulfill his good purpose. (Phili 2:13)
Kim Votaw says
February 4, 2017 at 10:50 AMI think a 5th reason would be giving glory to God’s creation. God gave us everything we need in his creation to be well and healthy. When we start messing with God’s creation by growing food with unnatural pesticides and fertilizers, that’s when food becomes less than what it was supposed to be and actually harmful. We need to have respect for what God created for us to eat. Then we can be blessed with the health he meant for us to have.
Delora says
February 10, 2017 at 4:41 AMThe 5th reason is because God wants us to be bold and confident in our appearance and how we feel about ourselves. Many of us are confident in certain areas of our life, but God sees the bigger picture and wants us to bold and confident WHOLEHEARTEDLY!
Donna Richie says
December 8, 2017 at 5:50 PMThe fifth reason…on your journey, there will be others who will be looking to you. To encourage, inspire, challenge, and help. It is written that I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Be a living example of Jesus, for it is Him that gives us that blessed Victory bringing honor and glory to God. Enjoy the greatest journey that the human heart has ever known.
Renessa Punt says
February 11, 2018 at 12:46 PMMy idea is the healthier we get the better we can deal with the stress that we DO have in this broken world and the more powerful we can fight the enemy with Scripture and physique. Thx for your site and for helping see my momentarily approach to healthy living though compulsive will definitely help me with the love of God fight anxiety and fear of death and….through you I know it is His will for me to be healthy. Thx again and God bless.
Omar Garcia says
March 30, 2018 at 10:29 AMThank you for posting and sharing this. I’ve not taken good care of my body, unmindful that I am not my own, and I am repenting now. I’ve suffered from consequences of a bad diet, bad sleep, and lack of activity, and none of these things would’ve happened if I had done what I was meant to.
5th reason: God wants us to be healthy and exercise improves our health greatly. We can be sure we are doing God’s will if we work out with the right motives. The Holy Spirit wrote this words: ‘My loved one, it is my prayer that you may do well in all things, and be healthy in body, even as your soul does well.’ (3 John 01.02). This can be seen both as a promise and as responsibility.
isabel says
May 8, 2019 at 5:57 AMthe paragraph under Our Body is God’s Temple and for Us to Care For says “htis” when it is means to say “this