MAY 6, 1 Corinthians 3:16

“Let’s stop for some ice cream,” suggested Kathy as she and her friend Jenny walked home from school. Jenny shook her head as she looked at her chubby friend. “I thought you said your doctor wanted you to cut out sweet stuff,” she said.

“Well, I’m hungry,” said Kathy as she waved Jenny on and turned to go into the ice cream store. But she felt a bit guilty as she ordered a banana split. The doctor had said she should lose weight, and Kathy knew she had the tendency to overeat.

When Kathy arrived home, her mother had good news. “I’ve decided to quit smoking, Kathy,” she said. “I went to a Bible study at church this morning, and the group discussed how our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Kathy was delighted. Her mother had been a Christian only a short time, and Kathy had been praying that she would give up smoking before it harmed her permanently. “Great, Mom,” cheered Kathy. “I’ll help you all I can.”

“Good” Mother smiled. “Will you go for a walk with me every day?” Inwardly, Kathy groaned. It sounded like such a lot of effort! “One of my excuses for smoking has always been that it kept me from gaining weight,” Mother continued, “so I’m going to eat a well-balanced diet and get lots of exercise.” She paused a moment before adding, “After all, having a healthy body not only involves getting rid of the habit of smoking, but also not putting on excess weight, I should think.”

Kathy sighed. “All right. I can take a hint. I’ll walk with you and try to improve my diet, too. But don’t expect any miracles,” she warned.

“We’ll do our best,” said Mother.

Thought: Do you take good care of your body? Do you eat properly? Get enough rest? Exercise? Maintaining a healthy body means staying away from things that harm your body (such as cigarettes, alcohol, too much food, etc.). Ask the Lord to help you take good care of your body which is the Temple of God.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so privileged that as a believer, the Holy Spirit dwells in me and I am the temple of God. Help me to take care of this body and especially not to sin with my body. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.