Compartmentalize This...

As I struggle to write these words, let me begin by saying that I have sinned...greatly. My righteousness has been as filthy rags, and I have offered the leftover fruits to my God instead of the firstfruits. I have been 60 pounds overweight and fed my body whatever it wanted..whenever it wanted it. I have overindulged, ate mindlessly and fed my physical body gluttonously many times. I have sinned against a Holy God.

A wise friend who introduced me to the 17 day diet, Debra, reminded me that it was MAN who totally separated the physical body from the spiritual. She said, "is it not just like everything else we do? We compartmentalize God? It is easier that way for us. A simple way to see it is we have Sunday clothes but remember when you had "Sunday clothes" and those were set apart for church? And then you were told "no drugs, no booze, no sex" but no one dared say "no high fat, high cholesterol, etc food". We can "no" everything else but the food! ... my point is really that WE separated the physical from the spiritual - not God. oooo...and another reason why we do it is it is HARD to control physical appetites....much easier to give in.....self-discipline is hard and we don't like anything hard...." I totally agree! We compartmentalize EVERYTHING...we write "blank checks" for everything but certain areas (for me that was my unhealthy living and lack of exercise). I have given God everything except what I eat or how I spend my time NOT exercising. He wants it all. Why do we think we should give Him less than the best in that area...why did I think that?

One of our staff members, Joseph, reminded me of this: "However, much like Paul says in Romans 8:10-11, our physical, mortal bodies are brought to life through the Spirit! The old body dies and is raised up anew through the Spirit! So the physical is now seen through a new light; the spiritual. Our physical is actually no longer OUR physical, but God's physical. So to summarize, as Christians our spiritual and physical are completely separate. And completely one." Wow! This is so true. We are NO LONGER our own...we were bought with a price. It is CHRIST who lives in us. How much more should we discipline our minds and bodies knowing Who resides there!

And my brother David wrote: "What we eat affects our health, our quality of life, and our relationship with others. The same is true spiritually of the things we watch, our conversations, and what we allow our minds to dwell on each day. Christ is the goal in all things. Paul said whatever you do in word or deed, do for the glory of God. How we preserve and maintain both our spiritual and physical temples is a direct result of our view of His Sovereignty in our lives. In our disobedience, confession and repentance are necessary for us to begin rebuilding in a way that brings Him the most glory." Ummm..ouch! This rings so true for me. I should honor God in ALL things...my thoughts, my words, my food, my activities, etc. I MUST obey Him in all areas.

For years I have separated the physical part of my life (what I eat, how I exercise, when I eat, how much I eat) from the spiritual aspect. With Christ in me, ALL of my life is a spiritual journey. What I put into my body is part of that...so I must look to God's Word to see what He desires of me. There are many Scriptures that come to mind but the following ones convicted me of getting my temple in order:

1 Corinthians 9:27 I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. (Disciplining our bodies can include avoiding pornography, illegal drugs, prostitution, movies with foul language, foods with no nutritional value, etc).

Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (I can say that there is not a moment of exercising that I really enjoy. It is HARD. It is NOT pleasant. But, the harvest has been rewarding)

1 Corinthians 6:19-12 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (How can I possibly argue with this. GLORIFY God with your body. Was I doing this? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT! But, this is now my aim.)

This is where God has our family on this journey: seeking to honor and glorify God with our physical bodies. Please pray for us as we seek to live our lives in such a way as to please our Heavenly Father!