“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
A recent story reported that Arlington, Virginia, has been named the fittest city in America for the ninth consecutive year, according to the 2026 American Fitness Index. Washington, D.C., claimed second place among the nation’s 100 largest cities in this year’s rankings. Arlington continues its long-standing reign as the nation’s fittest city, a result of consistently strong performance across categories like physical activity, access to parks and trails, and reliable transportation infrastructure. Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Seattle, and Denver rounded out the top five. The survey evaluated cities using 33 distinct criteria, including the number of parks, recreational facilities, biking and running trails, and public pools. According to the index, cities that ranked lower tended to show higher rates of chronic disease, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular illness.
Now, you and I can’t control how fit our city ranks overall, but we can absolutely control how fit we are individually. In fact, this ought to be one of our highest priorities. The Bible tells us plainly that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, whom we have received from God, and that we do not belong to ourselves. We were bought at a price, and therefore, we are called to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits, both of which belong to Him.
Let that sink in.
You and I were fashioned by God; we belong to God; we were redeemed through the death of His Son; and we were created for the purpose of glorifying Him. This means every single thing we allow into our lives is either building up the temple or tearing it down. And if you assume this only applies to food, think again. It matters what we feed our eyes and our ears just as much as what we feed our mouths, because all three have real power to strengthen the temple OR damage it.
Consider it this way: if someone walked into your church and spray-painted the walls, you’d call that vandalism without hesitation. It wouldn’t matter which door they used to get in; the crime would be defacing the house of God. Yet we commit that very same offense against our own temples every time we load up on ultra-processed food, skimp on rest, fill our ears with content that dishonors God, or fix our eyes on things that are wicked. God’s Word begs us:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
Scripture is unmistakably clear that believers are to be set apart from the world both in how we think and how we act. We are not to be squeezed into the mold of this world’s patterns, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we not only know God’s will but actively live it out. In this way, we continually offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord.
Staying spiritually fit means refusing to think like the world, eat like the world, watch like the world, or listen to the world’s music and coarse speech. It also means resisting the temptation to skip our own maintenance and upkeep, whether that’s a workout, a good night’s sleep, or time spent renewing our minds in God’s Word.
So, knowing that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, live like it, my friend. Let your habits, your discipline, and your care for the temple set you apart in a way that others genuinely notice. And when they do, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to point them to Jesus and the marvelous gift of salvation!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Help me to truly grasp what that means, so that I might honor You with the way I treat my body and, in doing so, draw others to seek You. Remind me that the more fit I am, the better I feel and perform, which allows me to serve You more fully and for a longer time. It’s in Your precious name I pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.
