Our physical well-being is a key determinant of our psyche; or our capacity to fulfill our purpose in life. This physical well-being is the sum-total of our health, physical appearance as well as physical and mental fitness. It is achieved through good diet, regular exercise, adequate rest and personal grooming. 

Taking care of our bodies is a way of honoring God and appreciating him as our creator – Psalms 139:14 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” It is also an acknowledgement that we are stewards of our own bodies and God is the one who fully owns us – 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” – NKJV

My grandfather passed on at the age of about 100; and at his funeral, the message that featured mostly about the reason he lived so long with hardly any health challenges was that he only ate a diet which consisted mainly of traditional foods and zero salt or sugar. He also kept himself very busy working hard everyday at his farm.

It has been scientifically proven that a good number of known illnesses as well chronic conditions stem from failure to take good care of our bodies. In 1999, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) declared Obesity an Epidemic in the USA. The CDC report at that time reported that being Overweight and physical inactivity accounted for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year!

It is advisable for the good health of families to be very deliberate about dietary choices in the long term; as well as introduce physical exercise in the daily routine for the family. This is one way that Christians honor God with their bodies.  Here are a few bible verses that guide us on this subject:

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” – NKJV

1 Timothy 4:8 “…Physical training is of some value…” – NIV

Daniel 1:12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.”– NIV

Psalms 127:2 “…for God gives rest to his loved ones.” – NLT (on the importance of physical rest from hard work)

On a light note, a pastor wondered how to convey to his wife that she had added a lot of weight over the past few months, so he quoted 1 Chron 4:10, and commented “Honey, Just like Jabez, I can see that the Lord has enlarged your territory!”