Read an Excerpt
Faith Study Guide
Nurturing Your Soul
By Gary Thomas, Dee Eastman ZONDERVAN
Copyright © 2015 The Daniel Plan
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-81995-0
CHAPTER 1
Every Body Matters
Did you know that God cares about our bodies, not just our souls? God made our bodies. He designed us to be embodied. He knit us together in our mothers' wombs (Psalm 139:13). And Jesus himself took on a human body: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). He rose from the dead with a body (Luke 24:36–43) and ascended into heaven with his body (Luke 24:50–51). God loves our bodies.
In this study on Faith, we'll learn about spiritual health and its connection to physical health. We'll begin in this session by looking at God's calling for us to offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices.
COMING TOGETHER
If this is your first time meeting together as a group, take a moment to introduce yourself.
Also, pass around a sheet of paper on which each person can write his or her name, address, phone number, and email address. Ask for a volunteer to type up the list and email it to everyone else this week.
Finally, you'll need some simple group guidelines that outline values and expectations. See the sample in the Appendix and make sure that everyone agrees with and understands those expectations.
When you're finished with these introductory activities, give everyone a chance to respond to these icebreaker questions:
» Use three words to describe how you think about or feel about your body. For example: limited, beautiful, aging, vulnerable, strong.
» How do you think God views your body?
LEARNING TOGETHER
AN INTERVIEW WITH Gary Thomas
Play the video segment for Session 1. As you watch, use the outline provided to follow along or to take additional notes on anything that stands out to you.
» In Romans 12:1, the apostle Paul says, "Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice." Physical discipleship is an ongoing, living sacrifice.
» Paul goes on to say the living sacrifice is "holy and pleasing to God." We're trying to please God with our bodies. We're not trying to please society. What matters is how we look in the eyes of heaven.
» Our bodies are instruments pointing others to God, not ornaments pointing to ourselves. We have one body, one tongue, one life, and we want to devote that life to serving and enjoying our Father. We don't need to worry about, "How do I get people to notice and appreciate me?"
» We take care of our bodies so that we have the vitality to speak God's truth, encourage people, hug them, and care for their physical needs.
"You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
1 Corinthians 6:19–20
» When we believe we own our bodies, we treat them in whatever way we feel comfortable, even abusing them. We treat our bodies differently if we see ourselves as taking care of someone else's property. We treat them with respect and protection.
» God has given us our bodies for a period of time, and we are accountable to him for how we use them. We will give our bodies back to him someday.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Psalm 139:13–14
» God delights in us, designed us, and knit us together in different bodies for different purposes.
» God looks at us and sees something beautiful that he has made. He doesn't want to see our bodies abused.
» Elton Trueblood said, "Biblical saints aren't good. They're committed." We're going to have bad days, but we are called to be committed overall in our lives to caring for what is God's as an offering of worship.
» We can add a thousand years of service to the kingdom of God if we view our bodies as instruments and we give God another year to use us.
GROWING TOGETHER
Discuss what you learned from the video. Don't feel obliged to answer every question. Select those that most resonate with your group.
(1) Read Romans 12:1 below. What do you think it means to offer your body to God as a living sacrifice? Give some examples of how you might offer your hands to God, your tongue to God, your physical stamina to God.
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
Romans 12:1
(2) How have you served God with your body?
(3) What's the difference between treating your body as an ornament and treating it as an instrument of God? Give some examples of how you might do each of these things.
(4) Read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 in your Bible or from the notes. How do you react to the idea that your body belongs to God, not to you? Does it surprise you? Did you already know it? Do you resist this idea or embrace it?
(5) If your body belongs to God, what are the implications for the way you live?
(6) Read Psalm 139:13–14 in your Bible or from the notes. How does it make you feel to know that your body is fearfully and wonderfully made by God? How does that affect the way you view your body?
(7) How will Psalm 139 affect the way you treat your body?
What I Wantto Remember
Complete this activity on your own.
» Briefly review the video outline and any notes you took. Review also any notes from the discussion.
» In the space below, write down the most significant thing you gained from this session—from the video or the discussion. You can share it with the group if you wish.
BETTER TOGETHER
Now that you've talked about some great ideas, let's get practical—and put what you're learning into action. The Daniel Plan centers around five essential areas of health. In this study you're exploring Faith, so you can begin by identifying one or two steps you can take to have a more vibrant life of faith. Then check out the Food Tip of the Week and the Fitness Move of the Week for some fresh ideas to enrich your journey toward health in those areas. There are also many tips and tools on the danielplan.com website so you can keep growing in all of the Essentials while doing this study. Use or adapt whatever is helpful to you!
FAITH
Next Steps
Here are a few suggested activities to help you move forward in connecting your body to your faith. Check one or two boxes next to the options you'd like to try this week—choose what works for you.
[] Lie on the floor with your arms outstretched, or sit comfortably in a chair with your hands on your knees and your palms open upward, or stand with your arms loose at your sides. Close your eyes. Beginning with your feet and moving up your body, offer God the parts of your body as instruments of his righteousness in the world (Romans 6:13). Deliberately give him your feet; ask him to guide you so that your feet take you to places of service, not to places of harm. Give him your legs so that you can stand securely for what is right. If you have mistreated your body, ask for God's forgiveness and the grace to care for your body from now on. Offer your whole self to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to him. Take your time, asking him to show you how he wants to use your body for his glory.
[] Spend some time journaling about offering your body as a living sacrifice. Ask yourself if you have any areas of resistance where you don't want to offer your body or some part of your body to God. Do you want your body to belong to you, not to God? Do you want what you eat to be your business, not God's business? Explore your feelings about this in your journal.
[] Go for a walk out in nature, and have a conversation with God about offering your body to him. Thank him for the way your body moves when you walk. Thank him for your eyes to see beauty around you, for your ears to hear, even your nose to smell.
[] Pair up with someone in your group who will be your prayer and encouragement partner. Commit to praying for each other's spiritual growth and service to God. Pray that your partner will know how to offer his or her body as a living sacrifice. Plan to send a text of encouragement to your partner during the week. You can also exchange specific prayer requests.
[] Memorize one of the Bible verses from this session. (A suggested verse for every session is in the Appendix.) Post it someplace you will see it often, and practice repeating it to yourself until you have committed it to memory. When you've memorized one verse, consider taking on this challenge: memorizing one verse during each of the four weeks of this study.
[] Plan several daily two-minute micro-breaks each day this week. Use that time to thank God for your body and to move your spine and limbs. Or try the Fitness Move of the Week several times a day, using deep breathing and stretching while you praise God for one of his attributes.
Food Tipof the Week
Want a quick recipe for adding nutrient-rich foods to a lunch or dinner? This week's spinach salad with fresh orange dressing is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and powerful plant phytonutrients to keep your heart healthy and your brain sharp. Just click the Food Tip of the Week on your video screen (3 minutes), scan the QR code, or go to danielplan.com/foodtip.
Fitness Moveof the Week
Praise God while you add more movement to your life. Watch the Fitness Move of the Week video to see how it's done. Just click the Fitness Move of the Week on your video screen (1 minute), use the QR code, or go to danielplan. com/fitnessmove.
PrayingTogether
Because everything we do in our journey toward health depends on God's power, we end each meeting with prayer and encourage group members to pray for each other during the week.
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
This week, offer a prayer of gratitude to God for your bodies. Take turns offering one- or two-sentence prayers thanking God for something about your body. What parts of your body work well that you tend to take for granted? What are some of the physical gifts God has given you?
Have someone close with this prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for the way you have made our bodies. Thank you for our feet and legs that take us to the people you have called us to serve. Thank you for the way you have designed us to nourish our bodies with food so that we have the energy to love others. Thank you for the arms with which we do work and with which we hug people. Thank you for our hearts that pump blood all over our bodies, and for every vein, artery, and capillary that carries the blood we need. Thank you that your Son Jesus took on a human body just like ours, a body that needed nourishment from food, a body with feet and legs and veins and arteries just like ours. Thank you that he knows just what it's like to live in and through a body, and that he still has a resurrected, glorified body now in heaven. We offer our bodies to you as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to you. Please do your work in the world through us. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Faith Study Guide by Gary Thomas, Dee Eastman. Copyright © 2015 The Daniel Plan. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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