As I sat gobbling down another sweet treat, I was disturbed in my Spirit. Junk. Junk. Junk. I had developed a habit of avoiding sweets, candy, and fat-filled foods, but the season for celebration rolled in and I indulged.

What’s wrong with that? Plenty.

I’m not trying to pass off my personal beliefs on you. However, I just want to bring one thing to light. We are stewards over all that God has entrusted us with. Managers of all He has given us. Our bodies are included.

Without our bodies we are no longer legal residents of earth. If our bodies no longer house our spirits we move on to our eternal reward, be it Heaven for those who have made Jesus their Lord and Savior, or hell, for those who have rejected the goodness of God through Christ.

God isn’t ripping pages of a celestial calendar, counting down the days before He takes you off this planet. The Bible has MUCH to say about how you can possess long life. That makes it your responsibility. God doesn’t make you sick, cause bad things to happen to teach you a lesson, or kill people. He is the God of Life and love. Satan is the delivery boy of death (see John 10:10).

The Bible reveals to us we are spirits, we have a soul (our mind, will and emotions) and we live in a body. We have been issued this body, or “earth suit,” if you will. If your earth suit is abused or misused, the damage can be fatal. As long as your earth suit functions properly, you can move about the planet as a human being, or literally, human spirit.

God needs you to take care of your earth suit. It’s your passport to the natural realm until you return home, to the Heavenly Kingdom. Earth is not our beginning and end. It’s a sliver of our eternal lives. You have a mission to accomplish! You have a specific, God-given reason for living. You need a healthy body to get the job done.

There’s a saying, “you are what you eat.” How can you expect your body to perform at its peak if it’s fueled by nutritional trash? You can’t. In God’s brilliance He built the human body to be a resilient, intelligent machine, but He only assigned you one earth suit. It’s the one you have from birth and it changes throughout your life based on how you care for it.

He gave you one set of fingers. One set of toes, two feet and a nose. He gave you eyes and ears, all your unseen and unsightly organs, and miles of veins and vessels.

Now, there’s a fine line here. I’m not saying you pamper your body. Actually, the Bible is very clear about buffeting (or disciplining) your body. You tell it what to do. Don’t let it dictate to you what it wants, which for me, has been bad food.

Now I know no one really wants to hear about taking care of their body because it means not doing some things (eating those yummy fried foods) and doing others (more veggies, more exercise).

However, if you listen to your heart, I believe you’ll agree. God is trying to make us aware of the big picture. This body needs to work for many years to come. It will be hard to enjoy a good, long life if it cuts out on you.

Why enjoy decades of life living inside a sick body? That’s not how God has it planned. But, the good news is, it’s all within your control.

I encourage you to care for the earth suit God has given you. The Body of Christ needs you to fulfill your part and your purpose on this earth and you can only accomplish that mission if you’re clothed in flesh.

As you begin taking care of what you’ve been given, you will grow spiritually and enjoy the blessings that come with health and long life; more energy, greater productivity and a life that glorifies God. God honors a life that honors Him. Let’s honor Him in all we do.