Will God someday judge – and reward you accordingly – as to how you cared for your body during your life on earth?
I believe He might.
This is a topic I’ve never explored or written about, but it came to me when I was spending time with God this morning.
The Bible tells us in a several places that we will all stand before the ‘judgement seat’ of Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelations 22:12; Romans 14:10; and Ephesians 6:8)
For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. 2 Corinthians 5:10
We will be held accountable for the good and the bad things that we have done, or not done, in our lifetime. This judgement is not to determine where we will spend eternity – in heaven or in hell – but this will be to determine the rewards that believers will receive for all eternity in heaven.
God has, and will continue to give us, certain gifts, resources, talents and opportunities to serve in His kingdom while we are here on earth. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus will hold us accountable for how we have lived our lives.
One gift that God has given you and me is our body. The Bible indicates that once we receive Christ as our Savior that His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, takes up residence within us. (John 14:17 and Ephesians 1:13-14) Our bodies become a temple for the Holy Spirit.
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
And Jesus paid a high price for us to have life in our bodies. He died a bloody death on the Cross so that we might have life. For this reason, we are to honor God with our bodies.
I believe that God desires us all to care for our bodies as a gift from God. To eat nutritious foods. To be physically active. To rest and sleep adequately. To drink plenty of water. To fill our minds and thoughts with things of heaven. To not engage in addictive behaviors. And I’m sure you can add to this list many ways that God wants you to care for your body, His Spirit’s temple.
Now, if you are in a relationship with Jesus, imagine that you’ve died and one day are before Jesus. As He recounts your life – the good and the bad – might He also include in that review how well, or how badly, you’ve cared for your body?
I think He will.
And, if you think this also, perhaps this can be another motivator for you to take good care of your body, His temple. This will be another motivator for me!
I invite you to share your comments in the block below.
Very Good! I read your articles and I’m amazed. I am one who is so health conscious until I feel recently, that I am feeling somehow about my being so careful on what gets in my body, including on my body was too much that I could be missing on my spiritual health – could my God. I pray, Father forgive me if I’m doing too much. For I feel taking good care of the body on the line of food and certain clothes to wear does not matter much to Him. Little did I know that it is the Spirit of God that is leading me to do this. Thank you so much for this site. Stay blessed as the Spirit of God uses you to open our insight to wholeness of the believer. I’m grateful,
I feel that ” Jesus paid a high price for us to have life in our bodies” I also thank God for blessing me to be more health conscious.I know God will teach me to do better than before and to make it a habit.
Thanks for great writings
I just wrote about this very topic on my blog! Glad to see we are on the same page about being healthy and practicing non-addictive behaviors. Thank you for your insights – I have included a link to your page on my blog.
I have experienced some unexpected health issues…But I know God is healing my body right now!..I thank God for his healing..I also thank God for blessing me to be more health conscious, I have seriously let some thing go and added more water back to my lyfe style…I use to drink a gallon of water a day,but I have been slipping on certain things..but I ask God to forgive me and take the taste and desire of certain foods away from me that is causing me harm..I’m not over weight or have high blood pressure, but its a gut issue.which hospitalized me..I know God will teach me to do better than before and to make it a habit. Continuing praying
What a great insight Dale! Jesus taught that we are to be good stewards of all that He has given us – money, possessions, relationships, time, and, our bodies. To me being a faithful steward of my body includes the physical care you mentioned, but also how we speak, how we touch, where our feet take us, what we look at, what we listen to, what we think about. My body enables me to interact with others and bring glory to God. Our bodies are pretty important to the Lord. He arranged for His own Son to have a human body, and, one day will give all believers glorified bodies just like Jesus’ resurrected body. We will have that body for eternity.