Wellness as Stewardship

Remember the passage (1 Corinthians 6:19) that tells us “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” The context is condemnation of immorality – open sin. I suggest that it would not be out of place to consider that passage as pertaining to stewardship.

I have recently had opportunity to review the giving aspect of stewardship. Although I am not willing to say that failure to tithe is sinful, I sincerely believe that failure to give will deny me much of the joy of my Christian life. In Acts 20:35, Paul attributed to Jesus the well-known expression, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” So by receiving without giving, I may deny myself some of the blessing of God.

The parallel I see regarding wellness is this: It is more blessed to maintain my wellness so that I can give of myself (my time, my energy, my creativity, my love) than it is to be unwell and have to depend on others to give to me. Although I do not consider it sinful to be unwell (any condition less than perfect wellness), to be unwell will eventually result in my being limited in my ability to give of myself for others. I want to be ALIVE! as long as I live so that I can give freely and generously of my time, energy, and creativity.

I believe that the clear message of the Bible is that God desires our perfection (wholeness, completeness) of both salvation and wellness. Matthew 5:49 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is … not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.Exodus 15:26 “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God … I will put none of the diseases on you … for I, the Lord, am your healer.”Gospels – many, if not most, of Jesus’ contacts with the people of Israel were healings.

I invite you to join me in mutual support of our wellness. It is an area that will require discipline and focus to see the best results.