August 28

Job 9:1-10:22
Psalm 104:10-15
Proverbs 21:10-11
1 Corinthians 3:16-4:13

Body and Soul—United
Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you? … God’s sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.
—1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Many centuries of misunderstanding have brought about a division between body and soul. This division is in evidence in some parts of the church today. Jesus, however, did not see His body as something to be ignored but as something to be used. As He said, “You prepared a body for Me” (Heb 10:5).

His body and soul were attuned. He neither neglected His body nor pampered it, but offered it as the vehicle of God’s will and purpose. And He kept it fit for God. There is no mention of His ever being sick. Tired, yes, but never ill.

It is accepted today that body and soul are a unity, that a sick soul can produce a sick body, just as a healthy spirit contributes to a healthy body. It also works the other way around—a healthy body can contribute to good emotional and mental health. We Christians tend to overemphasize the spiritual side of life while underestimating the importance of physical facts like body chemistry, weather, water, air pollution, and nutrition. But through ignorance of the way in which body and soul are related, we succeed only in tearing them apart. I believe what is said about husband and wife in the marriage service can also be applied to the body and the soul: “Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate” (Mt 19:6).

A good pianist may be able to get a lot out of a poor instrument, but he cannot give full expression to the music if the piano is out of tune. You cannot ignore the physical if you want to stay spiritually fresh.

Prayer
O Father, help me see that my body is not something over which to be offended, but something to be offered. Give me a balanced understanding of this matter so that I can be at my best for You—spirit, soul, and body. Amen.

Further Study
1Kg 19; Rm 8:11; 1Co 3:16
What was part of Elijah’s problem?
How did the angel minister to Elijah?

Every Day with Jesus Daily Bible – August 28