Temple Maintenance

 “Never order food in excess of your body weight.” Erma Bombeck

  Do you have food paranoia? If you don’t, you probably know someone who does. They’re all around us. They’re those individuals who rigorously police what they put into their mouths like customs inspectors with a drug-sniffing dog. They make the TSA look like Paul Bart Mall Cop. With incredible vigilance they scan the horizon for fattening junk food, heart-mugging fats, allergens, carcinogens, engineered genes, and esoteric chemicals – things you can hardly pronounce without a PhD.

  Why do we do this? Why do we so thoroughly police our food intake? Because we want to stay healthy. In other words, we want to avoid death. Good Health = Life; Bad Health = the opposite of life…or Death.

  Can I ask though? Why is it we’re nearly obsessed with what we put into our mouths, yet pay little attention to what we put into our minds? Which one really is more important? Which one has greater ramifications? Most of all, which one is God most concerned about? So which one should we be the most concerned about?

  Please understand what I’m saying. We need to be concerned about what we eat and taking care of our bodies…“temple maintenance.” Yet, in our food, physical body obsessed culture, we’d do well to heed the words of the Apostle Paul, “while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).  So how can “train ourselves in godliness”?

  First, you have to eat right. Please understand that what our Heavenly Father wants most of all desires to have with us is a relationship, not some legalistic ritual. The Bible is God’s love letter to us. It has all the instructions that we need to live a successful life.

  Most of us have received a few love letters. When Jane and I were dating, and she’d write me a letter. I’d read, re-read and re-read that letter. I have nearly every letter that Jane wrote when we were dating. When we love someone we want to hear what they have to say. We hang on every word. That’s how we need to approach God’s Word. We need to hang on every word and let it bathe our souls with God’s love and goodness. 

  Sadly, most of us are like me when it comes to instructions, particularly on how to put something together. I absolutely hate reading instructions. When we buy a shelf or desk that needs to be put together, I just want to jump in. It’s only because of marital confidentiality some dingbat messes I’ve made over the years will never be told. Fortunately, I out-married myself and Jane actually takes the time to read and comprehend the instructions. But if I’ll take the time and read the instructions, and comprehend them, even a two left handed twit like me can put most things together.

  Do you know that I meet Christians all the time who fail to simply read God’s instructions? Then, they wonder why they don’t have inner peace or are depressed or bored or dissatisfied with their life. They won’t take the time to read the instructions. Can I get real radical? Most Christians would have much more fulfilling marriages, family lives, work, leisure, and church life – if they’d just read God’s Instruction Book on a regular basis. Instead, some of them pay a therapist to tell them (though the therapist may not even know it) what God’s Word says about how to have a fulfilled life.

  Second, you have to communicate. Does your Heavenly Father know what you need? Absolutely! Do you know what’s amazing? He wants to hear from us. God wants to hear from me and you, peons as far as this world is concerned, as much as He wants to hear from presidents, kings, queens, celebs and stars of this world. There’s no special line on God’s prayer chain. And do you know the two words that God loves to hear, more than any other, “Thank You!” Recently, I’ve been focusing on more ways to praise God. I’m ashamed to admit that I find it easer to pray (make my requests) than I do to praise.

  Third, you have to exercise. The most miserable individuals in nearly every church have one common trait – they’re good sitters. You’ll find that they can tell you all the things wrong in their lives and often everything wrong in everyone else’s and even everything wrong in the church. They’re not ministers; they’re missionaries of misery. Do you want to grow in your faith? Serve the Lord and serve Him by serving others.

  There’s a reason our world is so unhappy. It’s so self-absorbed. The most common pronouns in miserable people’s vocabularies are: I, me, my and mine. Joy, fulfillment and meaning are spelled with “you” and “them.”

  Fourth, you must have relationships. God designed us for community. A healthy church, a healthy Christian is one who has meaningful relationships with other believers. God never intended for church to be “our one hour” and we scoot. It’s as we interact, pray with one another, serve one another, that we grow. Now that’s not usually comfortable. You’re going to find people in a small group who will drive you crazy…just like, (I know this will come as a shock) you drive them crazy. But that’s how God designed for us to grow.

  Most of us, particularly when we’re in middle age, have settled out in our marriage and relationships with our children. We usually are no longer challenged and are no longer growing. Our spouse or children have taken a que sera, sera attitude with us (what will be, will be). In a smaller group, they haven’t bought our song and dance. They’ll challenge us and we in turn will challenge them, and then something wonderful and profoundly spiritual happens. Even old geezer Chistians find that they are still “training themselves in godliness” and keep growing. But the older we are in our faith (not necessarily mature), the more tempted we are to settled in our Christian walk. That’s not God’s goal for us and it’s spiritually devastating for us. God, in His love, is not satisfied until you and I are conformed to the likeness of Jesus (Romans 8:29).

  In 2014, change your eating and exercise routines, but remember that will only help for this life. So focus on doing something that will really make a difference both for now and eternity. Commit to “training yourself in godliness.”