During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide and Student Page, can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20
In the Jewish culture, the temple was a building devoted to the worship of the Lord—the dwelling place of the one, true, almighty, all-powerful God. So when Paul wrote that the body is “a temple of the Holy Spirit,” he made a very bold statement. Your body is a sacred dwelling place for the same one, true, almighty, all-powerful God. He parted the Red Sea, appeared in the night sky as a pillar of fire, and resurrected His only Son from the dead. And His Spirit lives in you!
Consider your own health choices. Do you honour the temple of God of which you are the custodian? Or do you ignore it and take it for granted? Your body is a gift from God, and it should be used for His glory. When you make a healthy choice, praise God for the opportunity to take care of your body. As you make it a habit to glorify Him through your body, you may see that it affects your relationship with God as well. It is a worthwhile effort to make His temple a pleasant and inviting place to be.
Encourage the students to ask their family members, “Is good health important to you? Why?” They can then share what they learned about making healthy choices.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome your students as they arrive. Ask them to tell you 1 healthy thing they have done for their bodies. After everyone has arrived, ask the students to line up, shoulder to shoulder, on 1 side of your space.
Life is filled with choices. Some of the choices we make are good for us, such as eating healthy foods or choosing to obey the law. Some of the choices we make are not healthy for us, such as eating too many sweets or having sex outside of marriage.
I am going to list some choices. If I say something that is a healthy choice, take 1 step forward. If I say something that is an unhealthy choice, take 1 step backward.
Say the following phrases aloud. After each statement, pause to allow the students to step forward or backward. (The healthy and unhealthy choices are indicated in the parentheses.)
Allow the students to offer suggestions of other healthy and unhealthy things. When the students have reached the opposite side of your space, congratulate them for recognizing healthy choices.
It is important to take good care of our bodies so we will be healthy. When our bodies are healthy, we can work and play harder, we learn better, and we may enjoy longer lives. Let’s learn more about making healthy choices.
The body is in good physical condition, not sick or weak.
Students may answer that emotional health means understanding and controlling your emotions. Social health involves understanding how to interact with others in a positive way and choosing healthy relationships. Spiritual health means having faith and allowing your beliefs to guide your life.
Students may answer that it allows them to do what they want to do. It may allow them to live longer. It may allow them to have happier and more productive lives.
God gave us amazing bodies. When we break bones, God made them able to heal. When we get sick, God gave us immune systems to help us get well. God gave us sleep to allow our bodies to recharge and heal. He designed all of our body systems to work together in a miraculous way. This allows us to eat delicious food, play football with our friends, and show love to those around us. God designed our bodies to overcome pain and illness. If we take good care of them, our bodies can be healthy for many years.
Although our bodies have a wonderful ability to heal, they still need our care. We sometimes make choices that can cause lasting damage.
Allow students to share their thoughts. Be sure they list taking drugs, drinking too much alcohol, and using tobacco as some unhealthy choices.
Students may say things such as “I might not be able to do some of the things I want and need to do,”“I might suffer from illnesses or unhappiness,” or “I might not have good relationships with others.”
Sometimes we damage our bodies by doing things that are unsafe or unwise, such as having sex outside of marriage or engaging in violence. These kinds of behaviours may not seem to relate to our health, but they can have long-lasting physical and emotional consequences.
Sometimes we damage our bodies with what we put into them. While our bodies need nutritious food and clean water to be healthy, they can be damaged by taking in unhealthy things, such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. These things can have negative effects on our physical and emotional health.
Most of us want to be healthy. But our health is not only important to us. It is also important to God. He created our amazing bodies and wants us to treat them well.
Ask a student to read Genesis 1:27 aloud from the Bible.
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
The Bible tells us that we are the only creatures made in God’s image. This means that we are made to reflect or be like God. For example, God is creative, and He made you creative. God communicates, and He made you to communicate. God is intelligent, and He made you intelligent. God is relational, and He made you to have relationships with others.
When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to live within that person. The Holy Spirit helps us in many ways, including some ways we have talked about before. He can help us to live healthy and abundant lives. If you have accepted the salvation that is offered in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit is living in you right now! Your body is like a house for the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls your body the “temple of the Holy Spirit.”
Ask a student to read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 aloud from the Bible.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20
Guide the students to understand that our bodies are not our own because Jesus paid the price for our sins with His life. Therefore, our bodies belong to Him.
This passage reminds us that God’s Holy Spirit lives within believers! We were bought by Jesus’ death on the cross—our bodies belong to God. Therefore, we should glorify, or honour, Him with our bodies.
Guide your students to realize that dishonouring our bodies sends a message to God and to others that we do not care about the gift He gave us. It is also disobedient not to take care of our bodies since God has told us to do so.
Have the students find partners and share 1 change they can make in their lives to take better care of their health.
God made you to reflect or be like Him. You can honour God with your body by making healthy choices. Think of some of the healthy choices we discussed in our game at the beginning of class.
Here are some of those ideas:
Think about your daily life. What are 3 choices you could make this week that would help you to be healthier?
Optional: Give the students paper and pencils. Ask them to draw pictures of themselves on their papers. They can draw simple outlines or include more details, such as their faces, hair, and clothes.
If you are using the Student Pages, the students can use the outline provided on the page and add details. Give the students time to draw. Then allow them to write 3 healthy choices they will make this week.
We are the most special part of God’s creation. And no other person is exactly like you! You are special and loved by God, and you can honour Him by making healthy choices.
Allow each student to share 1 healthy choice he will make this week. Once every student has had an opportunity to share, close your time with this blessing based on Psalm 139:13.
Blessing: May the Creator of the universe, who knit you together in your mother’s womb, show you how special you are. May you truly know His deep love and bring Him honour by making healthy choices.
Lead the students in singing this quarter’s song if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
