Temples of the Holy Spirit

You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives.
The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God
(1 Corinthians 6:19)

Early Christians were told not to ask market food sellers if they were buying food previously offered to pagan gods. This may seem like a trivial superstition to us today, but it was very important to them (see 1 Corinthians 8:4ff)
 
The food we eat is often a cocktail of good ingredients mixed with many additives. As a scientist, I have given talks about the benefits and health risks of additives in foods.
 
This is not a preachy diatribe about ‘everything is bad for you, so you must feel guilty with every mouthful.’ Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, so we have a responsibility to treat them with the love and care God lavishes on each one of us.
 
A recent BBC Panorama programme reviewed highly processed foods that a professor described as a toxic timebomb storing up significant health problems, causing widespread misery and grief, and imposing massive, avoidable challenges on our National Health Service.
 
I do my best like others to keep physically fit and active, but it’s tough to keep going to the gym, etc. St Paul said he kept fit like athletes of his day as a spiritual discipline (1 Corinthians 9:27). Keeping mentally, emotionally, and spiritually fit is an ongoing challenge when we are bombarded with continual bad news about the Ukraine war, rising inflation, emails, twitter feeds, etc.
 
I enjoyed our recent HTR barbecue without an atom of guilt about all the additives, etc. in a juicy burger, but I balanced this with a healthy salad. Achieving a healthy, balanced lifestyle in our suburban culture is a challenge I daily embrace, with all its trials and informed compromises.