Property Managers

1 Corinthians 3:16&17 - Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

We are the temple of God; where the Spirit of God lives. We have been given the privilege of being host to the Spirit of God (see also Rom 8:9) because of our relationship with Him. With this privilege comes responsibility. We are to maintain this property well because it is holy. How do we do that? Well, we can begin by presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices: we tend to our minds to make sure they are renewed in the Lord (Rom. 12:2) and we care for our bodies (1 Cor. 10:31, 1 Cor. 9:27) – this is soul care. We also nourish our spirit through the Word of God (Matt. 4:4).

It’s kind of like being property managers. When charged with caring for a property, we wouldn’t let it become run down or damaged, would we? No! Well, or Property Owner has given us guidelines for caring for His holy residence: tend to the mind, the heart, and the spirit in order to keep the property in tip top shape. Can you imagine saying to the Property Owner, “Sorry, I don’t do windows” or “I’m not really into vacuuming, so you’ll need to handle that for yourself”? This is like saying to the Lord, in response to His expectations for us, “Sorry, I don’t do forgiveness” or “I’m not really into love, so you’ll need to handle that for yourself.”

God has made it clear that His temple is not to be destroyed. We are to care for and not damage (nor let anyone else damage) this precious body. This includes partaking in and abstaining from a variety of practices. Part of that responsibility, I would propose, includes physical fitness. Fitness for the sake of health management is good. Disciplining ourselves to eat healthfully and workout is important and valuable. But fitness can be understood and exercised in the context of overall obedience to the word and will of the Father. Our commitment to weight lifting or Pilates or kickboxing can be the outworking of our commitment to God and treating His temple as holy. The same applies to the variety of habits we have. If they are in line with God’s care plan, carry on! If not, seek His help to remove those from your life.

Remember, we are not our own. (1Cor. 6:19-20) We are to diligently honor God with our body...honoring His presence.

Make sure to take good care of His property.