Thursday, December 22, 2005

Bodies as Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-8

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in a view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." (v. 1)


I was given additional responsibilities at work that included an expansion of a new department. I was given the responsibility of developing and maintaining all college web sites and services. A major accomplishment we had completed was the implementation and enhancement of a content management system. In selling the concept, I had to explain the separation of duties: presentation, structure, and content. The whole idea was that individual departments were able to focus on the content and not worry about the other two.


While working on this, I came to realize that although it was true, there can never be a complete separation of the three elements. The text is primarily content, but if a different color, font, and size are chosen, it does affect the presentation. Although limited, it does affect how the website looks and feels.


Similarly, although there is a mind, body, and spirit, there can never be a clear and total separation as we live today. The mind cannot survive separated from the body. The body is but a shell if the mind is no longer. The spirit cannot exist elsewhere praising God while the body is sleeping. Although separate, they currently depend on one another.


Therefore, we must also keep our bodies in shape. If we are healthy and strong, then we can serve God, serve others, and give God the glory. When we are sick, we have difficulties doing these things. Let us therefore eat healthy, sleep well, and exercise our bodies so we can also praise God with our best.

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