In a 2015 article, writer Erin Brindley of The Village Church delivers some serious wisdom. She writes:

1. "If God fashioned man out of the dust of the ground to be a bodily being (Gen. 2:7) and declared this culmination of creation very good (Gen. 1:31), then our bodies can’t be inconsequential." 

2. "If God created us as material beings made in His image and gave us the mandate to cultivate the earth and fill it with His image (Gen. 1:26-28), then our bodies must have purpose." 

3. "If Christ came in the flesh (John 1:14) and in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Col. 2:9), then the body bears eternal significance." 

4. "If all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, have been created by Christ and for Christ (Col. 1:16), then what we do to our bodies either supports or betrays our worship of Christ." 

Let's put a pin in that, shall we? Those who know me understand that at PrayFit we live within a tension; a tension that we walk like a tightrope when it comes to the complexity of bodily stewardship; trying never to put too much emphasis on the body that we lose sight of what's most important, but never de-emphasizing the truth that we are made in God's image. And in order for us to follow Him and tell others about Him, He gave us arms, legs, skin, eyelids, lips and receding hairlines. Well, that last one He reserved for the really cool kids.

Friends, I am convinced that if we're not careful, "seeing health (or illness) through the Gospel's lens" can become no more than a catchphrase. We have to mine God's Word for the indisputable truths nestled throughout. From Genesis to John, we have irrefutable evidence of the precious origin and the eternal significance of these temporary jars of clay. 

Like I've said before, honoring God with our bodies means something different for each of us. For some, it may mean a more dedicated approach to exercise, better food choices, more rest. For others, it may mean a pumping of the brakes and renewed sense of perspective and purpose.

Stewardship is never showy, but it's not lazy. Stewardship doesn't start in the gym and end in a flex, but rather it begins and ends in a heart where God is pleased.

Physical stewardship happens when our approach to the body proclaims God's image is cherished and His will is pursued in the process.  

- Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: If...then. Feel the tension? Anybody with me on the tightrope? Love to know your thoughts.