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Nehemiah rebuilt the temple, at God’s direction, with intense opposition all around him. He planned his work and worked his plan. It only took 52 days! What could be more important to the next 52 days in your life, than rebuilding God’s temple? God’s gift to us is the temple of our bodies, where the Holy Spirit dwells. If yours is in disrepair, rebuild it. If you’ve maintained it all along, keep up the good work!

What did Nehemiah do first? He prayed. A lot. And fasted. (Nehemiah 1) In Nehemiah 2, he determines what needs done, and confidently states “The God of the heavens is the one who will grant us success. . .” In chapter 3, he breaks  the work down into parts. Chapter 4 and 5 brings opposition from enemies, along with ridicule and discouragement. You will have opposition. Satan will see to that. Be strong in your faith, get half-way there, in spite of the obstacles, just as Nehemiah did with the walls. Nehemiah 6:15-17 tells us, ‘The wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. When all our enemies heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.’

Our God can accomplish a lot with us. Our enemy is Satan. He wants us weak, tired, ineffective, a slave to our palates. God wants much better from each of us. And He certainly can create a good work in us.

Remember the parable of the talents? Isn’t it a sin to bury your resources? Our most precious resource is our body. The Master will be pleased with those that take good care of what He has given them, investing in wise choices.

Here’s your mission. Rebuild your temple. Choose to make it your priority. Everything else will fall into place. Schedule your daily temple-building time. Nothing else gets priority over this time dedicated to work for God.

It’s a choice to get up and move. The only difficult step is the first one. Yes, you do have time. What you don’t have is time to neglect God’s creation. What will you do with this, the greatest resource He has given you?

It’s a choice to put the fork down. We each hold the power of the fork.

Galatians 6:7-8 tells us, “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”

The seven deadly sins propounded by Thomas Aquinas are:

pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, lust, and gluttony

Which of these involve not taking care of God’s temple?

At the least, sloth, greed, lust, and gluttony fall into the realm of neglect of the temple. Lust can be termed ‘craving’ in today’s world.

Let’s be smarter than our taste buds, our appetites, and the abundance of culinary delights confronting us at every turn.

Why are these sins so readily acceptable in today’s church? Sin is sin. And yes, neglecting our health is a sin. It falls short of the mark God set for us.

How do we know when we’ve excessive in our sloth, our greed, our lust, our gluttony? Look at your body. God designed us to be incredible, complex machines, used to bring Him glory. This can continue into old age. Is yours doing the best it can with what God gave it?

Somehow we’ve adopted the idea that it’s fine if we slow down a lot as we age. The trick is to keep going, as much as you can for as long as you can. So don’t slow down at 40, 50,60, or 70. Probably not even at 80. Read about the people who live in blue zones. They just keep going.

Don’t feel guilty. Unless you are going to spend yet another day NOT taking steps to DO something about it. Guilt is Satan’s tool to bring us down. Guilt is a waste of time. Use your time and build your strength to rebuild the temple. Start today. Don’t wait until you have perfect conditions and help from your neighbors. Remember the discouraging words from Nehemiah’s neighbors? He broke the work down into parts and he started immediately.

It’s a matter of faith, just like with Nehemiah. He had so much faith, even though he faced major obstacles, he accomplished a lot in 52 days. Where will you be in 52 days? Hopefully your temple will be stronger, have more stamina, and serve God by showing the world His strength in you.

What about those with limitations and illnesses? Be honest. Isn’t there something you can do? Chair exercises? Wheelchair exercises?

A matter of obedience- God doesn’t ask us to take care of ourselves. He assumes we will. Ephesians 5:28-29 tells us, ‘In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church.’  Wow! We are to care for our bodies just as Christ cares for us!

Start where you are and commit it to God. He’s on your side, He wants you to succeed! If it’s better for your body, then it’s better for God, and it’s better for your spouse, children, and grandchildren.

Spiritual warfare is real, and one of Satan’s current favorite tactics seems to be keeping us weak and ineffectual due to our weak and ineffective bodies. We’re focused on sips, snacks, and Sunday dinners, when we should be focused on re-building the temple into a place of holiness, health, and happiness that draws others to want to worship God as well.

Scripture references to sustain you:

John 14: 16-17- “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.”

Matthew 19:26- Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Proverbs 17:22- A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

(Exercise releases your happy brain chemicals, endorphins!)

Jeremiah 30:17- But I will bring you health and will heal you of your wounds—this is the LORD’s declaration . . .”

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20- ‘Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.’

1 Corinthians 9:27- ‘Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.’

Romans 6:12-14- Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

Mark 12:31-“. . .Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”

God expects us to love the body He has given us. Love is best expressed by doing. Doing what we know to be good for us.

The internet is full of resources for information, tips, and tricks for healthy eating and movement-no matter your starting point.