By Kevin Perrigan
Manager, Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center, Newport
I can still picture the large garden that my parents cultivated when I was a kid. Rows and rows of potatoes, tomatoes and beans as well as other things. We would always have fresh vegetables for each meal. Our freezer was always full of meat from a calf that we raised. Hamburger and beans were a staple at our house. Along with that came hard work on our small farm. At the time, I did not appreciate the hours building fence, putting up hay, and spending time with my dad. Every time the church doors were open we were there. This was our lifestyle.
Unaware, this was the foundation that prompted the healthy lifestyle that I try to live today. The biblical values of eating what God provided and working hard no matter what we did was ingrained in me. That healthy lifestyle is not as easy today as it was when I was a kid. Juggling family and ministry can consume your time. In the midst of the business of the day, healthy habits can be forgotten while trying to accomplish all the tasks to be done.
Good health is sometimes looked at as something that sounds good if the time is right. It’s almost treated as something that doesn’t matter in our lives. On the contrary, staying healthy is a biblical principle.
Kevin Perrigan
I Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Stewardship is a much broader topic then most people think. It’s about managing the things that God has given us. Believers sometimes forget that God has given us only one earthly body. That carries a lot of responsibility. God breathed life into us, something He did not do with any other created thing. This tells of the great care and importance we are to our Father. We are also the temple of God.
I Corinthians 6:19 says, “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.”
This verse should change our perspective of how we treat our bodies if we acknowledge that God lives in us by His Holy Spirit. From the beginning, God has always desired to be in the midst of His people. By that, He gave explicit instructions to Moses about what He expected in the construction and maintenance of His dwelling place. Even to the point of electing the Levites to manage and lead in worship for the people of Israel. This tabernacle and later a temple, was the place where man could have communion with God. By accepting Christ in our lives, the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are His temple. Do we no longer care for His temple like He instructed His children in the wilderness?
Living a healthy life is not about living longer. It’s about being obedient. God desires for His children to live healthy lives so we can serve Him to the fullest. Let’s not leave out the last part of this verse: “You are not your own.” We belong to God. Christ paid the ultimate price for each of us on the cross. My desire is to please my Lord in all that I do and to bring glory to Him.
