Sam Allberry: God and the Truth about Your Body

I get ask you questions if you get the right answer. There's a right and wrong answer what you think.

I think about most of the day football football seriously that it was close. You decide what your motorcycling.

It sounds like you just listed all the idols in my life. Welcome to family life today where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most kind and Wilson and Dave Wilson and you can find us@familylifetoday.com or on our family life, family life today is shocking to me, but I think about my body a lot. Why I do like how I'm feeling. I'm getting older but wouldn't ever guess that you ever thought of. The older I get, the more you know you feel pains and aches you don't walk as well. I don't yet try to get up on a surfboard and it didn't go well because I could barely get off of grounding are in great shape. I feel like I take care of my body but I am shocked that I think about it as much as I do. I would love to say I think about spiritual life in Jesus. My emotional life. My mindset but the bodies right up there probably I guess I'm confessing to manage know I'm super surprised how I not known this before you learn things right here on family life today and where you learn a lot about our bodies today why God actually cares about a bodies we have Sam Albury back with the something like today Sam, so glad to have you back with us.

Welcome to family today.

Thanks for having midsize was good to be with your your your smiling at our conversation.

What you think what you heard us talking about this yeah II was wondering if the comments on that I would've guessed you think about your body was was meant to sound like a compliment, so it was a compliment actually mean our listeners can't see Dave, but he's in really good shape. He's really healthy and self consumed at all.

I feel like I worry more about the elder than he does. So that's my surprise, it probably good to make that clear. Yeah, and it's interesting because Sammy just finished a book we've had you on here before as an apologist of the speaker and obviously a writer. I mean last time we talk to you.

It was of the book. Why does God care who I sleep with, which was a fascinating conversation. I love all the stuff you write about your so much deeper than me and me and be we just love the way your mind thinks, but this one first I want to ask you why you wrote this book with the title is very interesting what God has to say about our bodies why the gospel is good news for our physical self. So why in the world did you attack this issue. Why go after the body. Yet there are two reasons really pretty. They relate to the two halts of what I spend my time doing one is apologetics and always becoming aware is it so many of the issues we are wrestling with and confused about in Western culture have to do with abilities. What is it mean to be male or female would redo the sexuality battery kite with body image issues and those that come from the rise of the moment then. Similarly, the other half of my life. I am a pasta and was just finding abnormal posture issues within the church have to do the body.

How we cope with and think about page physical frailties in a sickness again. Eating disorders podium at stuff you not being looking over the fence to see what would all Catholic friends are up to a knife typing for more intensive to the multiunit civil trickle significance than we have been so II think that this is an area where regional torches as well as we should. And polish my notification, and partly to help city, but he also wanted to really dive into what the Bible says about our bodies and on you that the Bible had lots to say about abilities. I knew that there would be a book and that but even so, I was always really surprised at how much the Bible says about our bodies. We we so often to fold into goats or any interested in the soda spiritual bits of me which we presume is the soul. The spirit will something that's the Bible is just full of ways in which it is significant that we all imported it masses in Gingold's estimation on its relevance to our Christian life say much of discipleship in the New Testament is spoken about in physical and unbolt a time say that was the main impetus for that's good and I and I'm wondering the fact that we talked about you know I think about my body. Every day is that pretty common and actually sounds like well that's not such a bad thing. It's actually a good thing because God thinks about her body, but is that that rare or do most of us think about our bodies quite often. I think most of us do our started working on this about five or six years ago and it would come up in conversations. Kind of here and there and then unite as I think talking about it will live. So many people, and most of my ministry I'm talking to guys mold I'm talking to women, but say many guys have opened up to me about why that stuff to do with body image will stuff to do with no feeling out there enough of a man in some way and wanting to know how do I know if I am enough of a man and that's a thing and then there's the citizen. Again, the issues of getting older and being affected by that.

And those things that we can't ignore those things they did utensil to weigh on our minds.

Some people up thinking a lot about the police because we live in a very fine culture and how you look is often who you all say with all the attendant insecurities and anxieties that can go without say I think a lot of us do spend a lot of time thinking about uploading sometimes and in helpful constructive ways as we reflect on what God says. Sometimes we think about abilities and invoices are freely being prompted by occult children's and that's why we need to good use of the Scripture. It's a kind of converse with us as we think about these things will take us through that sand, because I'm thinking of you. Now I'm dealing primarily with women and so often the way we feel about ourselves is determined on how we feel about our bodies like if we put on our pants and they really take that day. Our day is done, he know, we just feel bad the entire day and so I think there's this grappling with. I shouldn't care about my physical body. In some respects if I'm getting my total identity from that. And yet, the God of the universe, the Holy Spirit, when we surrender our lives to Christ resides in our body. Walk us through what you've learned and what are some of the things that you think this is what we need to know what again what I've learned is that so many of us are having some kind of thoughts like the one you just articulated. It is certainly not unique to women. Just thinking of the… This is just an England thing with her as a US thing as well, but 1520 years ago that the men's grooming pulse of the supermarket was pretty small. I mean, you have some children it have a couple of things of to not on the stuff but it feels like now there's this whole all hills just will men's grooming headset which if nothing else, again, it's a reflection that we will move self-conscious us men than we used to be and say hello again how we look ways upon us, and it's part of how we assess the way we fit into the world around us. So this does most to think about without the that the Bible shows us that there is so much more to boss overseas and in how we look go famously said to Samuel, neighbor looking to see who the next king would be that the man looks on outward appearance, but God looks to the halls so we we are often far more superficial as puma being something bodies. He sees the interpersonal just the answer appearance every we mustn't think we we all recused, so image into all look but we also can't ignore that either. We all physical beings and we we mustn't similarly make a whole roll whole identity, something that is unrelated to all parties and that's it. The big issue today with discussions around gender identity, but the key thing that I got from writing and thinking about this, but which are certainly needed myself and I've try to help others with it since as well is just that idea that if if is Christians, we now belong to Jesus and Paul says we been bought with a price when not all right abilities now belong to Christ, that is such a liberating thing tonight because if if my body belongs to Jesus then the one my party has to please is Jesus, and we know from the New Testament of the boarding that is pleasing to Jesus is the body that is offered to Jesus. So I don't have to have a body that is going to be on an advertising billboard on the front cover of the fitness magazine or reported. It's going to turn heads at the beach in order to have a party that is pleasing to mine gold and Jesus is just a fall kind the mall stuff of our physical selves and our culture is a culture is always pushing us to evermore unattainable standard of what we are supposed to look like Moises Menendez women where you're quoting UniFirst renting for Paul talks about you, our bodies at the temple of the Holy Spirit and Artie mentioned that in at the end of that he says so glorify God in your body you hit it at that. But what how do we glorify God in our body because often people think that means I should look in a certain physical way in. I should glorify so much that I could be on the cover of muscle fitness magazine, which is never going to happen for me.

But you know that could be a a sort of a warped view but you know is you think about okay glorify God in your body often.

Like you said we think it's soul it spirit noises in your body so that about that. What would that mean it was it that the good news is, presumably we can glorify go to novelty, so it is a aborted happens to be like with its idiosyncrasies and foibles and all the rest of it. Every single one of us has abilities that can glorify God, we might do that perfectly the side of the second coming of Christ. But we we can right now with these parties glorify God, and it isn't about appearance when the Bible has some things to say about appearance may need about not being ostentatious in that kind of thing again. It's a boarding 30s consecrated pulse is just a few verses argue that the goal is for the party and the bully's foot. For the Lord told told Satan in Romans six about offering the members of of all abilities to be instruments of righteousness. I think that must mean that we actually mustard and venturing of horrible reasons. It will start with the feet, but working like a today who cannot bless who can us how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. I cannot beautiful thing today, literally and physically, figuratively or think about my hands a mother might welcome him to do today and how my day might be said of the laptop. It might be to remove it might be washing up, but inwardly sings could be doing that on to the Lord as a service to him will you know what I look at how I look at the world around me to. I look upon other people but the eyes of Christ of YC in the thronging crowd's sheep without a shepherd who we should feel compassion for do I get irritated the traffic setting Satan over these things that it's thinking you know it's using all abilities to serve the Lord, which we we don't do perfectly, and we do this in response to the gray showing Thomas through the fact that she Jesus was the one who did perfectly on the go with all parties in a way we never curtain and never do that as we receive the fruits of his bodily obedience. Actually, it gives us the desire to serve God with our bodies.

We want all parties to be pleasing to Jesus because we we now love him say I mean in the New Testament again gives us say many areas of life to think about in terms of our discipleship and also Vista called and the flesh is no small part of that. I mean that's really good and I listen to then think yes that's what we were designed again. That's what God created us to do were serving where loving or using our bodies to bring others to him.

You know it's interesting to see when you are certified by your fee in your eyes. You know you privately know this and it's sort of what Ian was joking about early when I said all I think about is football but when I played college football.

One of the things I would pray before the game in the locker room is a follower of Christ for my last two years of college is I would literally pray through every part of my body, asking God to protect my feet. My ankles my knees you because your plan is sort of a violent game and you could get hurt and soy. I literally visually walked from my feet up to my head and ask God bless and protect each one, but Sam is you are talking.

I thought I have not done that sense in terms of what you just said it just hit me as your sin. God, my feet are used by you to walk to somebody that needs you today use my feet today use my knees today use my eyes and really I just thought that's a great daily routine for people think okay your body does matter is that the only thing that matters, but it is important and offer each party your body each day to God to say how do you use my body today.

My lips my words my eyes. I don't know is I throw that out is that something that you say yeah that that's a way to think that's a good theology of our body. You're listening to Damon and Wilson with Sam all Barry on family life to a lawyer. Sam's response in just a minute, but first let me just say we'd love to send you Sam's book what God has to say about our bodies when you make a donation of any amount this week to support the work of family life to you can do that@familylifetoa.com or you can give us a call with your donation at 1-800-358-6329 can be a one-time gift or a recurring monthly gift as well.

Again the number is one 800 F as in family L as in life, and then the word today. Right now, let's get back to Dave and Anne's conversation with Sam all Barry I think that's what Paul was talking about that in Romans six, it's thinking specifically how can I with each part of who I am. Be of use of the Lord and of service to others.

In another aspect of this I have mentioned this to stewardship of the city of of all voters if all parties belong to Jesus that not all writing and now it was shooting them on his the half on-site unit is this waste to obsess about, do not and in a way that she can become quite unhealthy and is a way of being neglectful of all health in Thales London. Assuming it's just unspiritual but supple talks about disciplining his bullion and fish contains nine he talks about physical training being of some kind of usefulness of some value and in Ephesians 5 and is talking to husbands about loving their wives.

He talks about nothing will. Life is you bluff during Bodie and he just assumes that we will feed and care for our own bodies. So again that that this means that if a part of the Christian world that is a waste of assuming that the boat is just unspiritual and and insignificant to our Christian life and therefore it doesn't matter if I'm healthy or unhealthy but I think part of stewardship is that we we do try to look after all, health as best we can know fanatically but we will just you with these bullies well because I belong to Jesus and if we straighten well we can hopefully use them for more years to serve him yet. It's funny to let you get older you start thinking about that.

Like I need to be strong and healthy so that as I get older I can do the things with my kids my grandkids that I want and I can do ministry the way God is called me to.

And when I'm even thinking of like Romans 12 one in Taylor. Those are some of my favorite verses and when Polly saying present your body as a living sacrifice that image is always in the forefront of my mind that I'm giving you like Lord I'm laying down my body as a sacrifice that taught Sam about how do we teach our kids. I like this because I feel like as a mom when our world is so consumed with how we look in the physical part of how we look and is it pleasing to the rest of the world to man or women that's hard to kinda tell our kids know this part is more important that were using our bodies to serve and to draw others to the kingdom, and here's what I used to think when I was younger and I would read in family L when it says that man looks at the outer body but God looks at the heart. I was only like I know you love me, Jesus, and you think I'm fine, but that world out there, they don't.

And so even with their kids like now I know you think I'm beautiful but the world doesn't and I look terrible so is your teaching people in your congregations. How do we get that into our kids just keep coming back to Psalm 30 something. It says those who look to the Lord all radiance up will just keep coming, things of that and thinking about how there's a way of just showing as a human person because you look amazing from accountability point of view, but just because you find Christ captivating that that's what makes us shine. That's where on natural beauty is, turned up to the maximum we can say to kids you know what Jesus thinks of us is going to matter more than what other people think of us and that starts with a good thing for us to try to to show people in it again.

Jesus so loves you about he's made it a template for spirit Scotus come to dwell in you will Bodie. It's hard to pay a human body. A bigger compliment than that… Amazing building walls in Jerusalem took two goals people then pulled her saying I can't go 40 is now a temple of the Holy Spirit. That is how much you matter to court. That's how much he wants to be with you. It does, assuming I need to have federal repeats because money to the heart doesn't naturally go to that kind over time by the grace of God begin to undo the verdicts of the world in terms of what most shapes us and frames the way we see the world around us. Those verdicts of other people can stay with us for years and years and years and and causal kinds of damage and mayhem, which is why we need to keep coming back on what is Jesus think about us and we have to say you know you again, David can say I have been faithfully a monthly mate is he saying that it is iron for self and so big we can say to all our kids as we need to say to our own hearts that we were not coughed up by devolution. We were not here by accident. God has handcrafted each one of us. He came up with the idea of each one of us and made us and David says I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made each of us has a Bodie that is the reason for us to praise God. It may not feel that way. Much of the time, maybe even most of the time these these bullies can cause us pain, physically and psychologically, and in lots of other ways. But I keep thinking about that word for us in helping fearfully and wonderfully made.

Which means if we ever sold the attentiveness and care with which God makes a human being and we would have would have the chills.

I think we would be in orbit. They would stun us, astonish us and that's the Karen to find attention with which each one of us is being made that the summing up what is a perfect enough to pretend all bullies are perfect for them to have been faithfully and wonderfully made. The Bible shows us that the not perfect, but they all close craftsmanship say let's not demean and diminish will go to steams that such a good reminder because I mean is you're talking like yes yes I need to be reminded of that, every single day at the friend that I walked with and see my best friend for years and we are talking about that she has three daughters.

I have three sons and as they were growing up. The world puts so much attention on the physical. The outward beauty that she made a comment has always stuck with me.

She said you not happens is we end up gazing at the world of what they say beauty is and then we glancing God and what we have to do is we have to change that. Where were gazing into the eyes of Jesus into the word of what he says and who he says we are in the beauty and the care that he took to create us as he talked about and someone 39 and we can glance at our bodies, but were not just gazing at the world and what they say and our bodies look like that were gazing at God, and I love that you will eat what you said to live like the beauty that God created us in he stopped fighting us every day were not that he is. That's what hit me say when you mentioned Psalm 34.

I opened it up and you know it's verse five says those who look to him are radiant. Again, their faces shall never be ashamed. That was the same thought I had it says it's so easy to get consumed with body image.

I'm looking at muscle fitness on look and I'm not looking at him that when I look at him. I get his perspective on my body.

My body is important. It's not the most important. It isn't all of me. It's a part of me and I want to lay my body on the altar as a living sacrifice and allow him to use me and I think that would be the encouragement for a listener for a parent that's trying to help their kids understand this spend more time looking at him then you look in the mirror.

You both are important, but spend more time looking at him and watch him bring that radiance into your soul as well as your body that is good stuff Sam, thanks. Yeah, it's not how we look at so every look.

Ultimately, that is, is going to make us beautiful you been listening to family life to a if you know of anyone who could benefit from today's conversation with Sam all Barry you can tell them about the station or you could share today's episode from wherever you get your podcasts as well.

And while you're there. It really help us out if you rate and review us now for those of us who have preteens who might be starting to have questions about their body. You should check out family life's passport to purity. It's a chance for you and your preteen to get away just the two of you and listen to solid teaching on how a young person can navigate the changes they are experiencing as they become a young adult. You can find out more@familylifetoa.com. How can you as a parent. Respond if your child is confused about gender big and important question.

Well, the answer is not freaking out and overreacting.

If that's what you're thinking Sam will be back to talk more about just that tomorrow we hope you can join us on behalf of David and Wilson. I'm shall be added will see that next time for another edition of family life life today is a production of a crew ministry helping you pursue the relationships that matter most