The Stewardship of Our Bodies, part 3

Today I hope that you will be encouraged to honor God in all things regarding your body, whether food, drink, tattoos, dress, etc.  Let us (me too) remind ourselves of a few Scripture passages:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10

Two things must be first and foremost as we consider the stewardship of our bodies:

1. Godly motivation - that we are not doing this to wear whatever clothes we prefer, or because we receive a lot of social pressure, or any other earthly reason.  We are doing this because this is a way that we can honor and glorify a holy and righteous God, the Creator and Redeemer of our bodies.  We are not just spiritual beings, we are physical also and we are accountable for the things done in the body.
2. Discipline - there is no method of weight loss or healthy living in which we will succeed if we lack discipline and self-control!  We can count our calories, go to Weight Watchers meetings, get Curves gym memberships, etc. but if we do not remain faithful and consistent in the new habits - to be disciplined in them - any attempts will fail terribly and we'll become discouraged by our own making!  

But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.  On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:7-9

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Hebrews 12:11

Here are some helpful tips as we consider glorifying Christ with the bodies He redeemed.

Surround yourself with support.  Tell a few individuals who will encourage you as you seek to honor the Lord in this way.

Find an accountability partner.  Find a wonderfully honest person to speak the truth to you in love who will ask you the tough questions, "what did you eat today?" "Did you exceed your calorie or points limit for the day?"  "How much weight have you lost this week?"  "How many times did you eat fast food this week?"  "Do you think that third doughnut really honors God?"  "How many times did you exercise this week?"  etc.

Don't deprive yourself of your cravings.  If you really like ice cream (amen!), get a healthy name, Breyer's, and only eat one serving a day.  Or if you like cheesecake (amen!) take note of how much a serving is and be conservative the rest of the day.  If we deprive ourselves of some of the things we really like, then when we do get them, we go crazy overboard and eat the entire box of cookies instead of pacing ourselves like we should.

Find an exercise buddy.  If you like to go to the gym or walk in your own neighborhood, take someone with you.  Not only will you enjoy the fellowship, but you're doing something good for the body also.  This person could double as your accountability/support partner.

Keep a food diary.  Seeing the foods I've consumed really kept me accountable with what I've eaten that day.

Don't get discouraged if we slip for one day or one meal.  Keep pressing on!  Pick it back up the next day or remainder of the day.  Now, if we continue slipping day after day - then our accountability partner should kick in, put our noses to the grindstone and tell us to exercise more self-control and personal discipline for godliness.

Don't let yourself get bored with exercise.  Whatever it is that you like to do that's active - find a way to do it.  If you hate to be indoors while sweating, then go out.  If you prefer soccer over kickboxing, then indulge yourself.  Enjoy doing the exercise that suits you.  And don't succumb to laziness (preach it!).  If you cannot exercise, then be disciplined with your eating habits, again keep in mind the motivation for godliness.  God knows what you're capable of.

Give yourself some time.  If you're trying to lose weight, don't try to lose it all overnight.  It might take several months to reach your fitness goals.

Make lifestyle changes that you're willing to live with permanently.  Start with a small change and get comfortable with it before making another change.  Eating salads twice a day might not be the best change that you can keep the rest of your life.

Eliminate unnecessary temptations.  Just because that box of Little Debbie Snack Cakes are selling buy one get one free, doesn't mean you need to buy them!  The calories are not eat one eat another one free!

Set short-term and long-term goals for every week, every month, and in one year.

Don't give up.  Our pursuit is glorifying Christ.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Our joy comes from honoring Him in obedience.  Remember that we are relying on God's grace to accomplish all things.

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:9

Here are some more tips from Fitness Magazine.