“For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

-2 Corinthians 4:15-17

Notes:

It is a known fact, 1 in every 1 person dies.  The outer man (body) of every person decays day by day, and returns to the dust from which it came.  Later in the future, the vessels of those that have died in Christ will be raised up from the earth on the last day, and transformed into a glorified body like Jesus’.  Nevertheless, it is that which is unseen (our spirit) which is of greater value, and carries with it eternal significance.  The things in which we can see are only temporal. As our spirit and soul is renewed by the precious word of God day by day, we shift from one glory to the next, making our way closer and closer into the image of God’s Son, Christ Jesus.    

Saying this, God doesn’t want us neglect being healthy all together.  In the Old Testament the Jewish priests used a portion of the tithing for the everyday maintenance and upkeep of the temple.  It stands to reason then that we being ‘priests’ in God’s Kingdom (Revelations 1:6, 1 Peter 2:9), are expected to be good stewards of our ‘temples’ as well, only not to the extent in which we neglect the Spirit of God to change us from the inside.

Willing to Take the Challenge?

All over the world today in grocery stores, book stores, and health stores there exist models in magazines at every turn with perfect physique, matchless beauty, and great health.  Americans last year alone put over 25 billion dollars alone into the beauty industry.  What if half of this amount went to the work of God’s Kingdom, bringing it here on earth, as it is in heaven? 

As we have mentioned above, the Lord wants us to be good stewards of the bodies that we have been entrusted with, but there must be balance.  Each person must hear from the Holy Spirit for direction and leadership concerning this area of their life. The next time you look in the mirror, honestly ask yourself this question, “Is my outer man taking precedence over my inner man?”