As human beings we have a body and we have a soul - we're truly unique in that way. We are spiritual beings living in a physical body that is a shell to get around on this earth and our soul is on the inside.
What is our physical worth & our spiritual worth?
So many times in society - our physical worth is measured by the way we look, how smart we may be, how much money we have, or how many diplomas or college degrees we have. This isn't the type of physical worth that God cares about because this is worldly physical worth - how other people see us. We shouldn't measure our physical worth by how others see us or what others think of us. Instead, we need to treat our body/temple right - we need to take care of ourselves and be healthy. Part of being healthy does include reading God's word! How we do this is to avoid bad habits (which I will get into next church meeting) and truly give our entire beings to God!
God knew us before we were born, which is so awesome. He created us with His own hands and our body and soul together is worth a lot to God:
Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Psalm 139:13 - 15 NIV:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Jeremiah 1:5 NIV:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Job 33:4 NIV:
The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Isaiah 64:8 NIV:
Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Psalm 139:13 - 15 NIV:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Jeremiah 1:5 NIV:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Job 33:4 NIV:
The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Isaiah 64:8 NIV:
Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
We need to take care of our physical bodies because our physical body is important to God, and because our soul is inside of our physical body:
1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20 NIV:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV:
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
2 Corinthians 4:8 - 10 NIV:
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 NIV:
that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
Romans 14:7 - 8 NIV:
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV:
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
2 Corinthians 4:8 - 10 NIV:
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 NIV:
that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
Romans 14:7 - 8 NIV:
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
We also need to take care of our spirit/soul (the soul is an important part of our body):
1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV:
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
John 3:5 - 7 NIV:
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
Job 32:8 NIV:
But it is the spirit in a person,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 NIV:
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
John 3:5 - 7 NIV:
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
Job 32:8 NIV:
But it is the spirit in a person,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 NIV:
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
How do we take care of our physical & spiritual body?
Most of us know today that certain things are harmful to our physical body/temple such as getting drunk, smoking, not exercising enough, not sleeping enough, oversleeping, self-harm, overeating, not eating enough, not eating healthy foods for our body, etc. We need to take care of our physical needs to keep our temple as healthy as we possibly can. We need to take care of our spiritual body as well by studying God's word, praying, resisting temptation, etc. The physical aspect of ourselves as well as the spiritual both need to be taken care of. God's word is food and drink for the spirit just as a good meal that we physically eat nourishes our bodies. We have habits to keep our physical body healthy, so we need to make sure to have good spiritual habits, too. To start being successful at this, we need to put God first!
Here are a few scriptures about physical and spiritual health:
Proverbs 3:5 - 8 NIV:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Proverbs 17:22 NIV:
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 16:24 NIV:
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Peter 2:24 NIV:
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NIV:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Proverbs 17:22 NIV:
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 16:24 NIV:
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Peter 2:24 NIV:
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NIV:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Consequences of not taking care of our physical and spiritual body:
1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV:
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:17 NIV:
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
Ezekiel 18:4 NIV:
For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
Matthew 10:28 NIV:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:17 NIV:
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
Ezekiel 18:4 NIV:
For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
Matthew 10:28 NIV:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
