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“Your body wasn’t created for your own gratification; it was created for God’s glory.”

A thought by Nelson Searcy from his book, The New You: A Guide to Better Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness (p. 25). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

This is such a life-changing principle to understand and to live by.

Nelson says, “Here is a game-changing truth for you to consider: your body wasn’t created for your own gratification; it was created for God’s glory. But if you are like most people, you treat your body as if it is yours to do with as you please. You are quick to gratify your own tastes, preferences, and whims. But the reality is that your body was made both by God and for God.”

Nelson goes on, “First Corinthians 6:13 says, ‘[Our bodies] were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.’ You probably intuitively understand that God made your body, but maybe you have never thought of it as being made for him. If your body was made for the Lord, and he cares about your body, doesn’t that mean you should care about your body too?

“This is an area where most people—Christians in particular—need to flip the lens. Too often, we use God as the ultimate excuse for letting our health slide. We run our bodies down, fill them with disease-causing foods, let them atrophy from lack of movement, and then call it God’s will when we get sick. We fill our minds with toxic thoughts, neglect healthy relationships with other people, fail to engage with God regularly, and then blame him when we wind up lonely and anxious.

“The truth is that pursuing excellence in every area of our health is a way to honor God. His sovereignty is not an excuse to live any old way we want to live because he is going to work it out in the end; instead, he is the beacon calling us to live in a way that shines his brilliance to others. Keeping ourselves in good health is really an act of stewardship.”

Earlier Nelson said, “When you have all areas of your health under control, you are free to live life to the fullest. To get started, choose to embrace the following key commitments that are foundational to becoming the new you:          
-       surrender your health to God
-       stop making excuses
-       start taking small steps toward change.

“These commitments form the basis of your ability to build a life marked by complete health and wholeness.”

So, would you strive with me to better understand how to live life to the fullest?

Yes, yes!

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