Where God Dwells
Yesterday I attended the Joyce Meyer Conference at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. It was a 3-day conference, but Randy and I are getting ready to go to Mexico for a week, so, between packing and getting ahead on work, I felt like one day at the conference was all I could squeeze in.
Over the course of 4 teaching sessions, Joyce addressed the topics of spirit, body, mind and emotions. "Body" was the subject for Friday morning's session and I connected with it so deeply.
Joyce reminded us that our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit"; they are where God dwells. If you think about your body as the house of God, doesn't it follow that you should take good care of it?
One of my favorite aspects of Joyce's preaching style is that she uses examples from her own life. So she told us that earlier this year she talked to God about how tired she was all the time. She travels all over the world preaching and she needs energy to do it! While some of us would say "I can't do this anymore; I'm too tired," Joyce said to God, "I need more energy so I can do what you called me to do!" Not long after that she felt the desire to go for a walk. And to incorporate more walking into her daily routine. Since then she has walked for 90 minutes a day and has more energy than ever!
Her point was, when we tell God what we need, he gives us something to do.
Of course Joyce would have loved for God to just give her more energy without her having to make any changes in her lifestyle, but that's not often how God works. Much more frequently he tells us what to do to get the desired results that we want, and all we have to do is do it! But how often does God tell us what to do and we don't do it? We want it to be easy. We want to be miraculously, instantaneously set free. Without having to do any of the heavy lifting. But the Bible says "to know what you ought to do and not do it is a sin." If we're sitting around waiting for God to work instead of doing the thing he told us to do, we're being disobedient. As Joyce says, "We are partners with God. We each have a part. We can't do God's part and he won't do ours."
I've been thinking about the body quite a bit lately. Often times I hear people talk about what someone else should be doing. So-and-so should walk more. So-and-so needs to stop eating so much salt. So-and-so should go to the gym. So-and-so shouldn't worry so much. So-and-so needs to go to the doctor. So-and-so... Why? Because it is easier to point out what others should be doing than it is for us to do the thing we should be doing!
Chances are, if you've said so-and-so should exercise more, YOU need to exercise more; if you've said so-and-so should eat better, YOU probably need to eat better; if you've said so-and-so needs to get out and meet people and stop thinking only of themselves, YOU need to get your mind off yourself and spend time with others (and not others who also only think of themselves, but people who are happy and healthy and full of the life you want!). And seriously, when was the last time YOU went to the doctor???
I'm guilty of this "so-and-so" talk too. But one thing I've learned during this year of living intentionally is that the only person I am responsible for is myself. I can't make anyone else take better care of themselves, but I can take better care of myself. I can give the best advice in the world, but I can't make someone take that advice. I can, however, take my own advice! And there really is a freedom in that.
For me, that means incorporating more yoga and stretching into my daily routine. I walk 5 miles a day and Randy and I go for a weekly hike (except this week... 108 degrees just isn't smart!), but I never stretch. Ever. And my muscles are so tight that every day I have pain in my back, hips and knees. Pain that I know would be lessened or even alleviated if I would just incorporate some simple stretches in my daily routine.
So, I know what I need to do, now I just need to do it. Because if I don't I'm being disobedient, and the only person I'm hurting is myself.
Over the course of 4 teaching sessions, Joyce addressed the topics of spirit, body, mind and emotions. "Body" was the subject for Friday morning's session and I connected with it so deeply.
Joyce reminded us that our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit"; they are where God dwells. If you think about your body as the house of God, doesn't it follow that you should take good care of it?
One of my favorite aspects of Joyce's preaching style is that she uses examples from her own life. So she told us that earlier this year she talked to God about how tired she was all the time. She travels all over the world preaching and she needs energy to do it! While some of us would say "I can't do this anymore; I'm too tired," Joyce said to God, "I need more energy so I can do what you called me to do!" Not long after that she felt the desire to go for a walk. And to incorporate more walking into her daily routine. Since then she has walked for 90 minutes a day and has more energy than ever!
Her point was, when we tell God what we need, he gives us something to do.
Of course Joyce would have loved for God to just give her more energy without her having to make any changes in her lifestyle, but that's not often how God works. Much more frequently he tells us what to do to get the desired results that we want, and all we have to do is do it! But how often does God tell us what to do and we don't do it? We want it to be easy. We want to be miraculously, instantaneously set free. Without having to do any of the heavy lifting. But the Bible says "to know what you ought to do and not do it is a sin." If we're sitting around waiting for God to work instead of doing the thing he told us to do, we're being disobedient. As Joyce says, "We are partners with God. We each have a part. We can't do God's part and he won't do ours."
I've been thinking about the body quite a bit lately. Often times I hear people talk about what someone else should be doing. So-and-so should walk more. So-and-so needs to stop eating so much salt. So-and-so should go to the gym. So-and-so shouldn't worry so much. So-and-so needs to go to the doctor. So-and-so... Why? Because it is easier to point out what others should be doing than it is for us to do the thing we should be doing!
Chances are, if you've said so-and-so should exercise more, YOU need to exercise more; if you've said so-and-so should eat better, YOU probably need to eat better; if you've said so-and-so needs to get out and meet people and stop thinking only of themselves, YOU need to get your mind off yourself and spend time with others (and not others who also only think of themselves, but people who are happy and healthy and full of the life you want!). And seriously, when was the last time YOU went to the doctor???
I'm guilty of this "so-and-so" talk too. But one thing I've learned during this year of living intentionally is that the only person I am responsible for is myself. I can't make anyone else take better care of themselves, but I can take better care of myself. I can give the best advice in the world, but I can't make someone take that advice. I can, however, take my own advice! And there really is a freedom in that.
For me, that means incorporating more yoga and stretching into my daily routine. I walk 5 miles a day and Randy and I go for a weekly hike (except this week... 108 degrees just isn't smart!), but I never stretch. Ever. And my muscles are so tight that every day I have pain in my back, hips and knees. Pain that I know would be lessened or even alleviated if I would just incorporate some simple stretches in my daily routine.
So, I know what I need to do, now I just need to do it. Because if I don't I'm being disobedient, and the only person I'm hurting is myself.
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