Let me ask you a quick question. What comes to mind when you think of the word “stewardship?” Ok, while you’re mulling that over in your mind, I’ll tell you what used to come to my mind up until very recently. Why recently you ask? Well, because usually, when I am writing or teaching, sometimes even preaching, the subject and/or topic I pursue is something that God has recently revealed to me, or at the very least, reminded me of in my own life. I’m just being transparent, because it’s difficult to have wisdom without experience or application in your own life. Let me correct myself. It’s impossible. So, any time we’re together on this blog, I’d like to think that I’m sharing something with you that I’ve recently been shown and have begun applying to my own life. I’m on this journey of faith with you!
Now, lets start all over. What comes to mind when you think of the word “stewardship?” Responsibility with finances? Budgeting of resources? Handling your money in a way that honors God? Yes, yes, and yes. These are the more common things that used to come to my mind. And, they’re all great examples of stewardship.
Have you ever read certain parts of scripture and, even though you’ve read it before, this particular time it really punched you right in the mouth, but in a good way? I sure have. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 comes to mind.
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
Now this passage comes at the end of Paul teaching about the dangers of sexual immorality. But, what really stood out to me was this: “You do not belong to yourself, for God has bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
Do you realize that as Christians, we don’t belong to ourselves? That should be really freeing to us, because if we realize that we are not our own, that means that our life’s simplest path to contentment, joy, and peace should come from figuring out what God wants from us (since we belong to Him and are in His ultimate care) and giving back to Him what is rightfully His: ourselves. Oh, but even in that simplicity, we come face to face with the one thing that keeps us from that contentment, joy, and peace: ourselves.
Now, we could apply this to a hundred different areas of our life, but today let’s look at our body. Or, as verse 19 says, the temple of the Holy Spirit. And through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, God works in the world through us. That can be hindered if we’re not good stewards of our physical bodies, however. See where we’re going with this?
Being God’s hands and feet on this earth takes work. It takes physical effort and energy. It takes a sharp mind that can think clearly: a mind that can focus and be alert. But, to have these things, we must be good stewards of this physical body that we are temporarily residing in on this planet. It’s one of the most basic forms of stewardship we can exercise, but it’s important. Here are some things we can do to be better stewards of our bodies:
SLEEP: Now, I know this one seems like a no brainer. We need sleep. We need quality sleep. When we sleep, lots of things are taking place in our bodies and minds. We are recharged, so to speak. Vital balancing of hormones related to stress and other areas are taken care of during sleep. Our “flight or fight” part of the nervous system gets a chance to relax. Toxins are literally flushed out of your brain. So very much of our basic well being, mood, motivation, and ability to conquer the day hinges on our sleep. Sleep deprivation (and by that, I’m not talking about NO sleep at all, but simply not getting all we require) has been linked to many health issues, from high blood pressure to heart and kidney diseases, to mood disorders. We will definitely experience sleepless nights due to life at times. But we must make sure we are being responsible stewards by making sleep a priority. When we are careless about our sleep, it can come back to bite us in major ways. It can hinder our efforts in ministry and the very things that God have us do on a daily basis.
DIET: Hear me out. I don’t mean “diet” in the sense of one of those calorie restrictive fads. What we’re talking about is the types of things we eat, or don’t eat. Our body needs certain vitamins and minerals to function properly. It also doesn’t like a ton of other things that we put in it every day. Our food fuels us, or it can hinder us. By being mindful of what we are putting in out bodies and making the connection with how it’s making us feel, whether good or bad, we can learn to be better stewards of our bodies by watching our diets.
EXERCISE: Now this one can be intimidating. But hear me out. Did you know that one of the best ways to have more energy, is to exercise in some capacity? That sounds counterintuitive, I know. Because when we’re tired, the last thing we want to do is move our bodies. But, by doing so, we actually find our energy stores will increase over time. And not just our physical energy, but our mental energy as well. When we exercise in a way that raises our heart rates for an extended period of time, wonderful things happen. Exercise is one of the absolute best things we can do for stress. Stress has a way of disconnecting us from ourselves. Exercise has a “centering” effect on us. Our minds are cleared from the fog. Our self confidence is raised, as well as our mood. This doesn’t have to be in triathlon proportions. Start with a brisk walk. Hit the treadmill. Lift some wights. Just get your heart rate elevated for about 20-30 minutes. Shoot for about 3-4 times a week and go from there. You. Will. Feel. Better.
REST: I know you may be thinking, “We’ve already talked about sleep.” But I’m talking rest. Taking a break from your work is so important. Without proper rest, we risk falling into the dangerous cycle of burnout. Burnout can happen even when you truly love the things that you work hard at, whether it’s your job or ministry areas of serving the local church. Exhaustion and burnout can be very difficult to overcome. By making a conscious effort to rest from our work in all areas of life, we can prevent the crash. Shut off your phone. Hang out with the family. Do something you enjoy. You see, rest isn’t just laying back on the couch. It’s a God honoring way of connecting to the interests and hobbies that God Himself has given each of us. These things have a way of recharging our souls.
I know that these things listed seem pretty basic and practical. And, they could be taken as good general advice to even the non Christian. But, we are called. We are called to be good stewards of the bodies we are living in. Because, in all truth, they don’t belong to us. Taking care of our bodies is bigger than ourselves. The healthier we are, the more effective we can be at serving and loving our families, the church body, and the world around us.
-Brandon Walker
South Fork Church