We can often focus on our mental health and getting our minds in line with God’s truth, and forget that we should be doing the same with our bodies. The Bible says: ‘Honour God with your body.’ And that means we need to be looking after our bodies well. From what we eat to how much we sleep at night, God wants our bodies to honour Him. The Bible doesn’t promote particular diets, exercise plans or prescribe how many hours of sleep we should be getting a night. Instead, we need to be asking Him for wisdom and discernment so we can make decisions that are going to help and nourish our bodies. The Bible encourages us to have self-control (have a look at Galatians 5:23). This doesn’t just apply to those of us who have neglected the care of our bodies, but also to those who have become obsessed with the care of theirs. With so much information being thrown at us about dieting, exercising and what’s good or bad for our health, it’s quite easy to become focused on these things. But over-exercising, obsessive dieting and restriction is damaging to our bodies. In 1 Timothy it says: ‘For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come’ (4:8 NIV). So while we should make sure we’re doing what we can to keep our physical bodies fit and healthy, we shouldn’t become obsessed. While it’s of ‘some value’ and definitely important, it’s not what we should spend our lives focused on. We need to be seeking God and growing a godly character – things that have eternal value.

What Now?

Think of one thing you could start (or stop) doing to improve your physical health. And then think of two things you could do to help you develop a more godly character.