Most of us learned to think of faith as something that happens in the heart and the mind. The body was just along for the ride. But the Bible tells a different story, and it starts on the first page.

1. God made the body, and He called it good

When God finished creating the first man and woman, He did not step back and admire only their souls. Genesis says He formed the man "of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Gen 2:7). Body and breath, together. Then "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen 1:31).

That word good includes your hands, your heart, your stomach and your knees. David prayed, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps 139:14). Christians have never believed the body is a prison for the soul. That idea came from Greek philosophy, not from Scripture. God made you a whole person, and He cares about the whole person.

Now imagine how much more ministry could happen if your church were healthier. Picture members with more energy to serve on Sunday and all week long, and people who live longer and stay active in God’s work for more years. Think of the Sunday school teacher who can keep teaching into her eighties, the leader who still has the strength to help a family move, the grandparents who can keep up with their grandchildren and pass on their faith. A healthier, longer life isn’t just a blessing for one person. It strengthens the whole body of Christ, because every member has gifts the rest of the church needs (1 Cor 12:12–27).

2. Your body belongs to God

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul writes to a church that had decided what they did with their bodies did not matter. His answer is one of the strongest statements about the body in the Bible:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

Paul's immediate subject is sexual immorality, and we should say that honestly. But the principle he uses reaches further. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, and if Jesus paid for you with His own blood, then your body is not yours to spend however you like. You are a steward, not an owner.

A steward manages something valuable on behalf of someone else. A good steward doesn't hoard the master's property, and he doesn't waste it either. He takes care of it so it can be used well. That is the posture this ministry invites you into: not obsession, not neglect, but faithful care.

3. Even eating and drinking can be worship

Our name comes from 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Paul wrote those words at the end of a long discussion about food offered to idols. His point was that ordinary things like meals are never spiritually neutral. They can be done selfishly or for God's glory and for the good of others.

Paul also told Timothy that "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving" (1 Tim 4:4). Food is a gift. Christians do not need to fear food or treat certain foods as sinful. We receive it with gratitude, we share it generously, and we enjoy it without letting it rule us.

4. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit

The Bible warns against gluttony and drunkenness in the same breath (Prov 23:20–21), and Paul grieves over people whose "god is their belly" (Phil 3:19). These are hard words. But notice where the solution comes from. Self-control is not something we produce by willpower. It is listed as "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22–23), something God grows in us as we walk with Him.

That changes how we approach our habits. We are not trying to earn God's love by eating better. We already have His love in Christ. We ask the Spirit to help us say yes to what is good and no to what has too much hold on us, the same way we would with any other area of life.

5. Training the body has real value, but godliness comes first

Paul used athletic language often. He wrote, "I discipline my body and keep it under control" (1 Cor 9:27). He also put exercise in its place: "For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Tim 4:8).

Both halves of that verse matter. Physical training is of some value, so we should not dismiss it. Godliness is of value in every way, so we must never let fitness become an idol. A church that ignores the body has missed the first half of the verse. A culture that worships the body has missed the second.

6. God built us for rest

When the prophet Elijah was exhausted and wanted to die, God did not start with a sermon. An angel touched him and said, "Arise and eat" (1 Kings 19:5). He slept, he ate, he slept again, and he ate again. Only then did God speak to him on the mountain.

God built rhythm into creation with the Sabbath (Ex 20:8–11). Jesus told His tired disciples, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). And Psalm 127:2 reminds us that God "gives to his beloved sleep." Rest is not laziness. It is an act of trust that God runs the world, and we do not.

7. Grace, not guilt, and a resurrection hope

Here is where the Christian view of the body is different from every diet book on the shelf. Health is not righteousness. Thin people are not holier than heavy people. People with chronic illness or disability are not less faithful. Paul warned that rules like "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" have "an appearance of wisdom" but "are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" (Col 2:21–23). Real change comes from the gospel, not from a list of rules.

And our bodies have a future. Christians do not hope to escape the body. We hope for its resurrection. Jesus "will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body" (Phil 3:21). What is sown perishable will be raised imperishable (1 Cor 15:42). If God plans to raise your body, it matters what you do with it now.

If you have a health condition, talk with your doctor before making big changes to how you eat or exercise. If you struggle with food in a way that feels out of control, or with an eating disorder, please reach out to your pastor, a Christian counselor or your doctor. You are not alone.

Leader notes

• Keep the tone warm and honest. Everyone in your group has a complicated relationship with their body in some way.
• Never ask people to share their weight, measurements or medical details. Talk about habits and heart, not numbers.
• If someone mentions an eating disorder or a serious health struggle, thank them for sharing, don't try to fix it in the group, and follow up privately. Have a Christian counselor's name ready.
• Go first when sharing. Your honesty gives everyone else permission.

Open (10 minutes)

Ask one or two of these to get people talking:

1. What did you learn growing up about food, exercise or your body? Where did those ideas come from?
2. Have you ever heard a sermon or lesson about taking care of your body? What do you remember?

Read (5 minutes)

Have someone read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 and Romans 12:1 aloud.

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19b–20

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1

Discuss (25–30 minutes)

1. Paul says "you are not your own." Does that feel freeing, uncomfortable or both? Why?
2. What is the difference between an owner and a steward? What would it look like to treat your body as a steward?
3. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is talking about sexual sin. Why do you think the same principle applies to how we eat, rest and move?
4. Romans 12:1 calls presenting our bodies "spiritual worship." How can something as physical as a walk or a meal be worship?
5. Read Psalm 139:13–14. How does knowing God made you "fearfully and wonderfully" change how you talk about your own body?
6. Our culture tends to either ignore the body or worship it. Which way do you lean? What does a biblical middle look like?
7. Read Colossians 2:20–23. Why don't rules alone change us? Where does lasting change come from?

Apply (10 minutes)

Invite each person to choose one small step for the week. Write it down and share it with one other person in the group.

• Pray before every meal and thank God for your body.
• Take a 20-minute walk three times this week, and pray while you walk.
• Go to bed 30 minutes earlier on three nights.
• Replace one sugary drink a day with water.
• Memorize 1 Corinthians 6:19–20.

Pray (5 minutes)

Close by praying Romans 12:1 together. Ask God to help each person see their body as His gift and to give them the Spirit's strength for the step they chose.

Use this checklist with your health team. Most churches can move from "we should do something" to a church-wide launch in about 90 days.

Weeks 1–2: The pastor and leaders commit, personally

This step is the foundation for everything else. A board vote to “support” a health ministry is not enough. Congregations follow what their leaders do. Before anything is announced, every leader commits to living it out.

• Pastor reads Why Your Body Matters to God and prays about leading this.
• Pastor chooses one or two personal health steps (sleep, walking, meals, rest) and starts them now.
• Share the vision with elders, deacons and staff, and invite each one to take personal steps, not just to approve the plan.
• Every leader signs the Leadership Commitment and names their own first steps.
• Pair leaders into accountability partners.
• Add a five-minute health check-in to every leadership meeting: “How are your steps going? How can we pray?”
• Agree on the “why”: this is about stewardship and discipleship, not weight loss.
• Pick a launch month. January, Lent and September work well.

Weeks 3–4: Build a health team

• Recruit 4–8 people. Look for a nurse, doctor, dietitian, counselor, coach or fitness-minded member, and someone who loves to cook.
• Include people of different ages, sizes and fitness levels, so the team reflects the whole church.
• Name a team leader who isn't the senior pastor.
• Hold a first meeting: pray, read 1 Cor 10:31 together, and review this checklist.
• Ask any medical professionals on the team to review materials before they go out.

Weeks 5–6: Listen to the congregation

• Run a short, anonymous survey (5–8 questions, 5 minutes).
• Ask what people want help with: cooking, budget, exercise, sleep, stress, fasting.
• Ask about barriers: time, cost, childcare, mobility, transportation.
• Ask when people could meet: Sunday, a weeknight, online.
• Share a summary of the results with the congregation. It shows you listened.

Weeks 7–8: Look at your church's food culture

• List every time your church serves food: coffee hour, Wednesday meals, potlucks, kids' snacks, youth events, funerals.
• Adopt the Church Food Guidelines, or write your own.
• Make water the easy default drink at every event.
• Talk with whoever cooks or caters. Ask for help, and don't criticize what they've done so far.

Weeks 9–12: Launch

• Preach the All for His Glory sermon series (4 weeks, plus a bonus on rest).
• Start small groups using the matching group lessons.
• Offer a church-wide 21- or 40-day challenge: habits, not pounds.
• Host one shared event: a prayer walk, a healthy potluck, or a cooking class.
• Collect short stories of what God is doing, with permission to share them.

After week 12: Keep it going

• Choose a monthly health theme (see Health and wellness tips).
• Put a weekly tip in the bulletin or on the screens.
• Start an ongoing walking group or cooking class.
• Partner with a local clinic, food pantry, or farmers' market.
• Plan a yearly emphasis, like a Lent fast or a fall challenge.

Churches love to eat together, and they should. The early church broke bread "with glad and generous hearts" (Acts 2:46). These guidelines keep the joy of the table while making the healthy choice the easy one.

Our heart behind this

We serve food to welcome people, to celebrate and to care for one another. We want what we serve to show that same care. These are guidelines, not rules. Birthday cake and Christmas cookies still belong at church.

Seven simple guidelines

1. Water first, and skip the soda. Put water out at every event, cold and easy to reach, along with unsweetened tea and coffee. Avoid serving soft drinks and other sugary drinks whenever possible (see below).
2. Half the table is plants. Aim for vegetables, fruit, salads, beans and whole grains to fill about half of every spread.
3. A healthy option at every event. Even at a dessert social, include fruit or a lighter choice.
4. Smaller portions, same generosity. Use smaller plates and cut desserts into smaller pieces. People can always come back.
5. Cook with olive oil or beef tallow. Skip seed oils (canola, soybean, corn) in the church kitchen, and bake or roast instead of deep-frying.
6. Label the food. A simple card listing common allergens (nuts, dairy, gluten, eggs) serves guests with food allergies and dietary needs.
7. Celebrate without guilt. Never comment on what or how much someone eats. Grace at the table matters more than any menu.

Why we avoid soft drinks

Of everything we serve, soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks are the easiest thing to change, and the change matters.

• They’re the top source of added sugar. Sugary drinks are the leading source of added sugars in the American diet (CDC).
• One can is a lot of sugar. A 12-ounce regular soda has about 10 teaspoons (roughly 40 grams) of added sugar and about 150 calories, with no real nourishment. The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines suggest no more than 10 grams of added sugar in a whole meal, so a single can is about four times that (Dietary Guidelines).
• They’re linked to real harm. The CDC notes that adults who often drink sugary drinks are more likely to have weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cavities and gout.
• The guidelines say to avoid them. The Dietary Guidelines recommend water and unsweetened drinks, and avoiding “sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sodas, fruit drinks, and energy drinks.”
• Kids learn from what we serve. When church events always offer soda and fruit punch, children learn that sweet drinks are normal with every meal.

What to serve instead: cold water (add lemon, cucumber, orange slices or berries), sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, coffee, and plain milk for kids. If you serve juice, choose 100% juice in small cups.

This isn’t about shaming anyone who enjoys a soda. It’s about making the healthy choice the easy one when God’s people gather. If you phase soft drinks out, do it gently: start with water on every table, then drop soda from one event at a time.

Easy swaps

For potlucks

Use a simple sign-up with categories so the table stays balanced: main dish, vegetable or salad, fruit, whole-grain side, dessert. Ask families with last names A–H to bring a vegetable dish, and rotate each time.

For the kitchen team

Thank them first. Many of these volunteers have fed your church for years. Invite them to help shape the new menu instead of handing them a list, and consider a cooking class where they can share favorite recipes with a lighter twist.

Many boards approve a new ministry with a vote and never live it out. This commitment is different. It isn’t a vote to support a program. It’s a personal promise, made before God and each other, to go first.

“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you… not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:2–3

How to use it

1. The pastor presents this at a leadership meeting, after sharing Why Your Body Matters to God.
2. Give each leader a week to pray about it. No one should sign under pressure.
3. At the next meeting, each leader shares their first steps and signs.
4. Pair leaders as accountability partners.
5. Revisit it every quarter. Celebrate progress and restart without shame when someone slips.

Ideas for first steps

• Walk 20–30 minutes, 5 days a week (see the Couch to 150 plan)
• Get 7 or more hours of sleep most nights
• Take a weekly Sabbath, a full day or at least an evening
• Replace soda and sweet drinks with water
• Pray before every meal and stop eating when satisfied
• Schedule an annual checkup and know your blood-pressure numbers
• Try a one-meal fast with prayer (if it’s safe for you; see the fasting guide)

For pastors: Duke’s Clergy Health Initiative found that many pastors see caring for themselves as selfish. It isn’t. You can’t lead your church somewhere you aren’t willing to go.

Introduction

This morning we're starting a four-week series called All for His Glory. It comes from one verse, 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

For the next few weeks we're going to talk about something churches almost never talk about: our bodies. What we eat, how we rest, whether we move. Some of you just got a little nervous. Let me say up front what this series is not. It is not a diet program. Nobody is going to get weighed. Nobody is going to be shamed. This is not about looking a certain way.

This series is about discipleship. It's about whether Jesus is Lord of all of us, including the parts that get hungry and tired and sore.

[Personal story: Share a moment when you realized you weren't caring for your own body well: a doctor's visit, exhaustion, a habit you couldn't shake. Keep it short and honest.]

So let's start with the most basic question. Whose body is it?

Read the text

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 6, starting in verse 12.

[Read 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 aloud.]

Corinth was a wealthy port city with a reputation. The Christians there had picked up some slogans. You can hear them in verse 12 and 13: "All things are lawful for me." "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food." In other words: it's just my body. What I do with it doesn't touch my soul.

Paul's main concern in this passage is sexual immorality, and we need to be honest about that. But the way he answers them, the principle he reaches for, applies to the whole body. He answers with three truths. Your body is God's, because God made it. Your body is God's, because Christ bought it. And your body is God's, because God will raise it.

1. God made it: your body is good

Paul says in verse 13, "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." The Lord for the body. God is for your body.

That goes all the way back to the beginning. When God made the first man, Genesis says He "formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." Dust and breath. Body and soul. And when God looked at everything He had made, He said it was "very good."

David prays in Psalm 139, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

Some of us don't feel fearfully and wonderfully made. We look in the mirror and we feel disappointed, or ashamed, or just tired. Maybe you live with chronic pain or illness, and your body feels more like an enemy than a gift. Hear this: your body is not a mistake. Your body is not less valuable because it's sick or aging or bigger or smaller than you'd like. God made it, and God calls it good.

And that means the body matters. Christianity has never taught that the body is a cage for the soul. That idea came from Greek philosophy, and the Corinthians had soaked it up. Paul says no. The body is for the Lord.

2. Christ bought it: you are not your own

Now look at verses 19 and 20. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Two images are packed in here. The first is a temple. For a Jewish reader, the temple was the place where God's presence lived. Paul says: if you belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in you. God's presence isn't in a building in Jerusalem anymore. It's in you.

The second image is a purchase. "You were bought with a price." In Corinth, slaves were bought and sold in the marketplace. Paul says you have been purchased, and the price was the blood of Jesus. You belong to someone else now.

That is the heart of this whole series. You are not an owner. You are a steward.

An owner can do whatever he wants. If I own a car, I can wash it every day, or I can run it into the ground. It's mine. But a steward is different. A steward manages something valuable on behalf of someone else. Jesus told parables about stewards. The master goes away, the servants manage his property, and when the master returns he asks, "What did you do with what I gave you?"

One day each of us will stand before the Lord. He isn't going to ask how much we weighed or how fast we ran a mile. But He may ask: "I gave you a body, and I lived in it by my Spirit. What did you do with it?"

[Illustration: Something you've been entrusted with that belongs to someone else: a borrowed truck, a friend's house while they were away, a grandparent's heirloom. How did you treat it differently because it wasn't yours?]

Being a steward cuts two ways. It rules out neglect. We don't get to say, "It's just my body, it doesn't matter," while we run ourselves into the ground with no sleep, constant stress and whatever food is fastest. But it also rules out obsession. A steward doesn't worship the property. Our culture spends billions of dollars worshiping the body, and Christians can fall into that too. Paul tells Timothy, "While bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way." The body is a gift to steward, not a god to serve.

3. God will raise it: your body has a future

Go back to verse 14. "And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power."

This is the part we forget. Christians don't just believe in souls going to heaven. We believe in the resurrection of the body. Later in this same letter, Paul writes, "What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable." Philippians says Jesus "will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body."

Think about what that means. God cares so much about your body that He plans to raise it from the dead and make it new. The body you have now is a seed of the body you'll have forever.

That gives us enormous hope, especially for those who are suffering. If your body is failing you right now, this isn't the end of the story. And it also gives us enormous motivation. If God is going to raise this body, then what I do with it now isn't meaningless.

So what do we do?

Paul ends with a command: "So glorify God in your body." Not "fix your body." Not "perfect your body." Glorify God in it.

Let me give you three simple ways to start this week.

1. Offer it. Romans 12:1 says, "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." This week, write a short prayer offering your body to God. Pray it every morning.
2. Thank God for it. Before every meal, stop and thank God for the food and for the body He gave you. Gratitude changes how we eat.
3. Take one small step. Not ten. One. A walk, an earlier bedtime, a glass of water instead of a soda. Tell someone what it is.

And if you're sitting there thinking, "I've tried all this before and failed," hear the good news. You are not your own. You were bought with a price. That means your worth was settled at the cross, not on the scale. Jesus didn't die for your body because it was in great shape. He died for you because He loves you. We don't take care of our bodies to earn God's love. We do it because we already have it.

Closing prayer

Father, thank You for making us, body and soul, and calling us good. Thank You, Jesus, for buying us with Your own blood. Holy Spirit, thank You for living in us. Forgive us for the ways we've neglected or idolized the bodies You gave us. Help us to be faithful stewards. Grow self-control in us, and give us joy in the small steps. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, may we do it all for Your glory. In Jesus' name, amen.

Introduction

Last week we asked, “Whose body is it?” And we saw that your body is God’s. He made it, Christ bought it, and He will raise it. We are stewards, not owners.

This week we come to the verse this whole series is named for. It’s about the thing most of us do three times a day, often without a single thought about God: we eat.

[Personal story: A meal that meant something to you, like a family table growing up, a holiday, a meal after a funeral. Or be honest about a time food became comfort or escape for you.]

Food is never just food. It’s memory. It’s comfort. It’s celebration. It’s culture. For some of us it’s a source of stress, or guilt, or even a battle. So what does God say about the fork in your hand?

Read the text

[Read 1 Corinthians 10:23–31 aloud.]

Here’s the setting. In Corinth, most meat sold in the market had first been offered to an idol at a pagan temple. Christians were arguing. Some said, “An idol is nothing, so I can eat whatever I want.” Others said, “Eating that meat is joining in idol worship.”

Paul’s answer lands in verse 31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Out of this passage and the rest of Scripture, I see three truths about food.

1. Food is a gift: receive it with thanks

Look at verse 26. Paul quotes Psalm 24: “For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.’” Everything on your plate came from God’s earth.

Paul told Timothy the same thing: “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim 4:4–5).

That’s important, because our culture has turned food into a moral scoreboard. Foods are “good” or “bad.” You were “good” today, or you “cheated.” We feel guilty about eating dessert and proud about eating kale. But the Bible doesn’t talk that way. Food isn’t righteous or sinful. It’s a gift.

God could have made food a bland pellet that keeps us alive. Instead He made strawberries and fresh bread and grilled fish and coffee. He gave us taste buds. Ecclesiastes says, “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do” (Eccl 9:7). And Jesus, the Son of God, loved a good meal so much that His critics called Him a glutton (Luke 7:34). He wasn’t, but He clearly enjoyed the table.

So the first way to eat for God’s glory is simple: say thank you. The prayer before a meal isn’t a ritual to rush through. It’s an act of worship. It reminds us who fed us.

2. Food is a good servant but a poor master

But here’s the other side. Earlier in this same letter, Paul quotes the Corinthians’ slogan, “All things are lawful for me,” and answers, “but I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Cor 6:12). In our passage he says, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful” (10:23).

Food is a wonderful servant. It gives us strength and joy and brings people together. But it makes a terrible master. Paul warns about people whose “god is their belly” (Phil 3:19). Proverbs warns against being “among gluttonous eaters of meat” (Prov 23:20).

Now, gluttony isn’t about body size. Thin people can be gluttons, and plenty of heavy people are not. Gluttony is when food rules us, when we reach for it to fill a place only God can fill. Boredom, stress, loneliness, grief: many of us eat to cope with those feelings. I know I have.

[Illustration: The pantry at 10 p.m. after a hard day. What were you really hungry for?]

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger” (John 6:35). Food can fill your stomach. Only Jesus can fill your soul. When food becomes the master, the answer isn’t more rules and more guilt. It’s coming to Jesus with our hunger, and asking the Holy Spirit to grow the fruit of self-control in us.

A tender word here. Some of you are fighting a harder battle with food: an eating disorder, or years of dieting and shame. Hear me: God does not love you less. And this is not a battle to fight alone. Please talk to me, or to someone you trust, this week. There is help and there is hope.

3. Faithfulness at the table: the example of Daniel

Let’s look at one more story. Turn to Daniel 1. Daniel and his friends were young men taken from Jerusalem to Babylon. They were being trained to serve the king, and they were given food and wine from the king’s own table.

Verse 8: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank.” Scholars suggest several reasons. The king’s food may have been offered to idols or unclean under God’s law, and eating from the king’s table meant depending on the king. Whatever the exact reason, Daniel decided in advance that his faithfulness to God would reach his plate.

He asked for a ten-day test: “Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink” (Dan 1:12). At the end, they looked healthier than the others. But notice: this isn’t a diet plan. The point isn’t that vegetables are holy. The point is that Daniel’s loyalty to God shaped even his meals, and God honored it.

Daniel resolved. He decided ahead of time. That’s a helpful practice for us. Most of our food choices aren’t made at the table. They’re made at the store, in the drive-through line, in the plan (or lack of plan) for the week. What if we made some decisions ahead of time, prayerfully, the way Daniel did?

Eat for God’s glory and your neighbor’s good

Go back to 1 Corinthians 10:24: “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” Paul’s whole point is that our eating should serve others. Food at its best is shared. The early church “broke bread in their homes” and “received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).

So eating for God’s glory also means: Who can you invite to your table? Who in our church or neighborhood is hungry? How does what we serve at church show care?

This week’s challenge

1. Pray before every meal. Every one, even the snack in the car. Thank God specifically.
2. Add one vegetable a day. Not as a rule, as an act of care for the body God gave you.
3. Share one meal. Invite someone to eat with you this week.

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Every bite can be worship.

Closing prayer

Lord, the earth is Yours and everything in it. Thank You for every meal You have ever provided. Forgive us for the times we’ve been ungrateful, and for the times food has become our master instead of You. Jesus, You are the bread of life. Fill the hungry places in us that food can never fill. Grow self-control in us by Your Spirit, and make our tables places of joy, gratitude and welcome. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Introduction

For two weeks we’ve talked about our bodies and our food. Today we’re going to talk about something many Christians have never done: going without food on purpose to seek God. It’s called fasting.

[Ask for a show of hands, or just ask the room to consider: Who has ever fasted? Who grew up in a church that practiced it? Share your own experience, or your hesitation.]

For most of church history, fasting was normal. Early Christians fasted twice a week. Today it has almost disappeared in many churches. Maybe it sounds extreme, or legalistic, or like something only super-Christians do. I want to show you from Scripture that Jesus meant it for ordinary followers like us.

1. Jesus expected His followers to fast

[Read Matthew 6:16–18.]

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about three practices: giving, praying and fasting. And with each one He says “when,” not “if.” “When you give.” “When you pray.” “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.”

Later, when people asked why His disciples didn’t fast, Jesus said, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matt 9:15). We are living in those days. Jesus has ascended to the Father, and we wait for Him to return. Fasting is part of that longing.

And the early church did it. In Acts 13, the leaders in Antioch were “worshiping the Lord and fasting” when the Holy Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. Some of the biggest moves of God in the book of Acts started with fasting and prayer.

Notice what Jesus warns against, though. Don’t fast to be seen. The religious leaders of His day made sure everyone knew they were fasting. They looked miserable on purpose. Jesus says they have their reward: people noticed. That’s all they get.

Instead, “anoint your head and wash your face.” Look normal. Keep it between you and your Father, “and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Fasting is not a performance. It is a private conversation with God.

2. Fasting teaches us we live by God’s word

[Read Matthew 4:1–4.]

Before Jesus began His public ministry, He fasted for forty days in the wilderness. Matthew says, with some understatement, “he was hungry.” And that’s exactly when the devil showed up: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy 8: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

That’s what fasting teaches us. We think we live by bread. We think we need that snack, that coffee, that meal on time. Fasting shows us how much we lean on food for comfort and control. And when we feel that hunger, we turn it into prayer: “God, I need You more than I need this.”

Fasting doesn’t earn anything from God. It doesn’t twist His arm. It changes us. It clears space. It makes us hungrier for Him. As the psalmist says, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Ps 42:1).

[Illustration: What happens to your mood when you’re hungry? What does it reveal about how much you depend on food?]

3. True fasting leads to justice and generosity

[Read Isaiah 58:3–7.]

In Isaiah 58, God’s people are frustrated. They say, “Why have we fasted, and you see it not?” And God answers bluntly: on the day you fast, you still exploit your workers and fight with each other.

Then God describes the fast He wants: “to loose the bonds of wickedness… to let the oppressed go free… Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him?”

True fasting doesn’t just make us more spiritual. It makes us more generous. When I skip a meal, I feel for a few hours what many people feel every day. That should move me to act. One simple practice: take the money you would have spent on the meals you skip, and give it to a food pantry or someone in need.

How to start

If you’ve never fasted, start small.

1. Choose one meal. Skip lunch one day this week. Drink water.
2. Replace the meal with prayer. Use that time to read Scripture and pray. Without prayer, it’s just skipping a meal.
3. Use your hunger as a reminder. Every hunger pang is a nudge to pray.
4. Give. Put what you would have spent toward someone who is hungry.

And again, if you have a health condition, if you’re pregnant, if you have diabetes, if you’ve struggled with an eating disorder, or if you’re a young person, please don’t fast from food without talking to your doctor. You can fast from something else: social media, TV, shopping, your phone after dinner. That is a real fast. God sees the heart, not the menu.

This week’s challenge

Choose one fast: a one-meal fast with prayer, or a fast from something other than food. Tell God why you’re fasting, and keep it between you and Him.

Closing prayer

Father, we confess that we often live as if we live by bread alone. We reach for comfort in so many places besides You. Teach us to hunger for You. Let our fasting be honest, humble and hidden. And let it make us generous, quick to share our bread with the hungry. Jesus, You are the bread of life. Make us hungry for You. Amen.

Introduction

We’ve talked about our bodies, our food and fasting. Today we talk about the word that makes some of you want to leave early: exercise.

[Lighthearted opener: your own history with exercise, like a failed New Year’s resolution, a gym membership you paid for and never used, or the sport you loved as a kid.]

Our culture has two very different relationships with exercise. Some people ignore their bodies completely. Others are consumed by fitness: the perfect physique, the next race, the right numbers on the watch. Christians fall into both ditches. Paul shows us the road between them.

Read the text

[Read 1 Timothy 4:7–8.]

“Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

The word Paul uses for “train” is the Greek word our English “gymnasium” comes from. Paul is borrowing the language of the gym. He wrote to Timothy, a young pastor in Ephesus, a city that loved athletics.

1. Bodily training has real value

Notice first what Paul does not say. He doesn’t say, “Bodily training is worthless.” He says it “is of some value.” That’s not a put-down. It’s an honest ranking.

And the value is real. Regular movement strengthens your heart, helps you sleep, lifts your mood, and helps prevent diseases like type 2 diabetes. The CDC recommends that adults get about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. That sounds like a lot, but it’s just 30 minutes, five days a week. A brisk walk counts.

Why does this matter to a Christian? Because of everything we’ve said in this series. Your body is God’s. He made it good, Christ bought it, and the Spirit lives in it. Caring for it is stewardship. And a body that is cared for can serve longer: it can carry groceries for a neighbor, play on the floor with grandchildren, go on a mission trip, stand through a whole worship service.

[Illustration: Someone in your church who stays active in order to serve: an older member who still volunteers, a nurse who works long shifts, a grandparent who keeps up with the kids.]

2. Godliness has greater value

But then Paul turns: “Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Physical training helps you in this life. Godliness helps you in this life and the next. Your six-pack won’t follow you into eternity. Your character will. Your love for God and your neighbor will.

That keeps exercise in its place. If fitness becomes where you get your identity, your worth, your sense of control, it has become an idol. If you skip church to fit in a long run every week, or feel superior to people who are out of shape, something is off. The goal isn’t to look good. The goal is to be faithful.

And here’s the connection: Paul says, “Train yourself for godliness.” The same things that make physical training work also make spiritual training work. Consistency. Small steps. Showing up when you don’t feel like it. Doing it with others. The discipline of the body and the discipline of the soul go together.

3. Run with purpose

[Read 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.]

Paul uses more athletic pictures. “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” Winners of the ancient games got a wreath of leaves that wilted in days. Paul says, we’re running for a prize that lasts forever.

Then: “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Paul disciplined his body. Why? So that he could finish his race and fulfill his calling. His body was not an obstacle to his ministry. It was the instrument of it.

Hebrews 12 takes it further: “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” We don’t run to earn anything. We run looking to Jesus, who already ran the race and finished it for us.

For every body

Some of you are thinking, “I can’t run. I have bad knees, chronic pain, a disability.” Hear this clearly: stewardship looks different for every body. For some of you, faithful movement is a walk around the block. For some, it’s chair exercises or stretching or physical therapy. For some, it’s simply resting well because your body is fighting a battle. God doesn’t measure you against anyone else. He asks you to be faithful with what you’ve been given.

And if you haven’t been active in a long time, or you have a health condition, talk to your doctor before you start something new.

This week’s challenge

1. Walk and pray. Take a 20-minute walk on five days this week, and pray as you go.
2. Invite someone. Ask a friend, a spouse or a neighbor to walk with you.
3. Pair it with Scripture. Memorize 1 Timothy 4:8 on your walks.

Our church has a Couch to 150 walking plan and a prayer walk guide to help you.

Closing prayer

Lord, thank You for bodies that can move, walk, lift and serve. Forgive us for neglecting them, and forgive us for worshiping them. Train us in godliness. Give us endurance for the race You’ve set before us, and help us keep our eyes on Jesus. May our strength be used for Your glory and for the good of others. Amen.

Introduction

We’ve spent four weeks on our bodies, our food, fasting and exercise. Today we finish with the one thing almost everyone in this room needs more of: rest.

[Ask: How many of you would say you’re tired right now? Share an honest story about a season when you ran on empty.]

We live in a culture that brags about being busy. “How are you?” “Busy!” We wear exhaustion like a badge. The CDC says adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night, and a large share of Americans regularly get less. Church people are no exception. Sometimes we’re the worst, because we fill every night with good things.

But God built limits into us on purpose. And He cares about how we rest.

1. Jesus invites tired people to rest

[Read Mark 6:30–32.]

The disciples had just come back from their first mission trip. They were excited, full of stories, and worn out. Mark says, “many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”

And Jesus says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”

Notice: the work wasn’t finished. There were still crowds. There were still needs. Jesus didn’t say, “Push through, the kingdom depends on you.” He said, “Come away and rest.”

Jesus Himself rested. He slept in a boat in the middle of a storm (Mark 4:38). He withdrew to pray. He went to dinners. He wasn’t lazy, and He wasn’t frantic either. He lived at the pace of trust.

And He says the same thing to us: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28).

2. God cares for the body before He speaks to the soul

[Read 1 Kings 19:1–8.]

Elijah had just seen one of the greatest victories in the Old Testament. Fire fell from heaven on Mount Carmel. And then one threat from Queen Jezebel, and he ran for his life. He collapsed under a broom tree and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life.”

Look at what God did. He didn’t lecture Elijah. He didn’t tell him to have more faith. Verse 5: “And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’” There was bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water. Elijah ate and went back to sleep. Then the angel came again: “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”

Sleep. Food. Sleep. Food. Only after that did God speak to Elijah on the mountain, in a low whisper.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. Sometimes what looks like a spiritual crisis is partly a physical one. When you are exhausted, everything looks darker. God knows that. He made you. And He cares for your body as well as your soul.

[Tender note: If you’re dealing with deep discouragement or depression, rest and food matter, and so does help. Please talk to a pastor, a counselor or your doctor. That is not a lack of faith.]

3. Rest is an act of trust

God built rest into the rhythm of creation. “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Ex 20:9–10). God Himself rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired, but to set a pattern for us.

Sabbath is a gift, not a chore. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). It’s one day a week to stop, worship, enjoy God and the people we love, and remember that the world doesn’t depend on us.

Psalm 127:2 puts it this way: “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

When you go to sleep, you are admitting you’re not God. You can’t keep everything running. You hand it over for eight hours and trust Him to hold it. Every night, sleep is a little act of faith. “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8).

Practical steps toward rest

• Protect your sleep. Aim for seven or more hours. Go to bed and get up at the same time most days.
• Put the screens down. The CDC recommends avoiding screens for at least 30 minutes before bed.
• Take a weekly Sabbath. Pick a day, or even an evening, to stop working, rest and worship.
• Say no to something. Look at your calendar. What can you cut, even if it’s good?

Looking back on the series

Over these weeks, we’ve seen that your body belongs to God. Every bite can be worship. Hunger can draw us to God. Training has value, and godliness has more. And rest is an act of trust.

[Share one or two stories from the congregation about what God has done during the series, with permission.]

None of this is about earning God’s love. We already have it in Christ. It’s about living as whole people, body and soul, for His glory. Whether you eat or drink, whether you run or rest, do it all to the glory of God.

This week’s challenge

Keep a screen-free Sabbath evening. Put the phones away, share a meal, rest, and thank God for the week.

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, You invite the weary to come to You. We come tired. Forgive us for acting as if everything depends on us. Teach us to rest the way You rested, and to trust You enough to lie down and sleep. Care for our bodies and our souls, as You cared for Elijah. And may everything we do, whether we eat or drink or rest, be for Your glory. Amen.

Everything a pastor and small-group leaders need to plan the series: each week’s text, big idea, three-point outline, weekly challenge and discussion questions.

Week 1: Whose Body Is It?

Text: 1 Cor 6:12–20; Ps 139:13–16

Big idea: Your body is God’s good creation, bought with a price, so honor Him with it.

Outline

1. God made it: the body is good (Gen 1:31; Ps 139:14).
2. Christ bought it: you are not your own (1 Cor 6:19–20).
3. God will raise it: the body has a future (1 Cor 15:42–44; Phil 3:21).

Small-group questions

1. What did you grow up believing about your body? Where did it come from?
2. What is the difference between an owner and a steward of your body?
3. Why does the resurrection of the body matter for how we live now?
4. What one small step will you take this week?

Week 2: Every Bite for His Glory

Text: 1 Cor 10:23–31; Daniel 1:8–16

Big idea: Food is a gift to receive with thanks and enjoy with self-control.

Outline

1. Food is God’s gift, received with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:4–5; Acts 2:46).
2. Food is a good servant but a poor master (Phil 3:19; Prov 23:20–21; 1 Cor 6:12).
3. Faithfulness at the table: Daniel’s example (Dan 1:8–16).

Small-group questions

1. How does gratitude change the way you eat?
2. Where has food become more of a master than a servant in your life?
3. What stands out to you about Daniel’s choice? What did it cost him?
4. Paul says to eat for God’s glory and others’ good. How could your meals serve others this week?

Week 3: Hungry for God

Text: Matt 6:16–18; Matt 4:1–4; Isa 58:6–7

Big idea: Fasting trades physical hunger for spiritual hunger and teaches that we live by God’s word.

Outline

1. Jesus expected His followers to fast (“when you fast,” Matt 6:16).
2. Fasting reminds us we live by every word from God (Matt 4:4).
3. True fasting leads to justice and generosity (Isa 58:6–7).

Small-group questions

1. Have you ever fasted? What was it like?
2. Why do you think fasting has faded from many churches?
3. Isaiah 58 connects fasting to caring for the poor. How could our fasting bless others?
4. If you can’t fast from food, what could you fast from instead?

Week 4: Train Yourself for Godliness

Text: 1 Tim 4:7–8; 1 Cor 9:24–27

Big idea: Discipline of the body serves the discipline of the soul, and godliness comes first.

Outline

1. Bodily training has real value (1 Tim 4:8a).
2. Godliness has greater value, for this life and the next (1 Tim 4:8b).
3. Run with purpose, not aimlessly (1 Cor 9:26–27; Heb 12:1–2).

Small-group questions

1. Which do you tend toward: neglecting your body or making fitness too important?
2. How are physical and spiritual discipline alike?
3. What does it mean to run “with purpose” in your walk with God?
4. What kind of movement do you actually enjoy? How could you do more of it?

Bonus: Come Away and Rest

Text: Mark 6:30–32; 1 Kings 19:1–8; Ex 20:8–11

Big idea: God designed us with limits; rest and sleep are acts of trust.

Outline

1. Jesus invited tired disciples to rest (Mark 6:31; Matt 11:28).
2. God cared for Elijah’s body before his soul: sleep and food (1 Kings 19:5–8).
3. Sabbath is a gift of trust, not a chore (Ex 20:8–11; Ps 127:2).

Small-group questions

1. What keeps you from resting well?
2. Why do you think God gave Elijah sleep and food before He spoke to him?
3. How is rest an act of trust in God?
4. What would a screen-free Sabbath evening look like in your home?

From the first pages of the Bible, food has been at the center of the story. It began as God’s good gift. It became the setting of the first sin. And again and again, the enemy has used appetite to pull God’s people away from Him. It’s one of his oldest weapons, and one of the least talked about in the church.

The stories

1. The garden: food as God’s good gift

Genesis 1:29; 2:8–9, 15–17

Before there was sin, there was a garden and there was food. God planted a garden in Eden, filled it with trees “good for food,” and gave the man a job: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). Adam and Eve grew food, tended the garden and ate freely: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden” (Gen 2:16). God’s first picture of human life includes good work, good food and daily dependence on Him.

Teaching point: Food is not the enemy. It is a gift from a generous God. Every lie about food begins by twisting something God made good.

2. The first sin was about food

Genesis 3:1–6

God gave one boundary: don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent’s first move was to question God’s word about food: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Then Eve looked: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” (Gen 3:6). The first act of human disobedience was an act of eating.

(The Bible says “fruit,” not “apple.” The apple comes from later art and tradition, so it’s worth saying so from the pulpit.)

Teaching point: The pattern of Genesis 3:6 is the same one John names in 1 John 2:16: “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life.” The enemy still uses appetite, appearance and pride.

3. Esau traded his future for a bowl of stew

Genesis 25:29–34; Hebrews 12:16–17

Esau came in from the field exhausted and hungry. Jacob was cooking red lentil stew. “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” Jacob asked for his birthright in exchange, and Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” He traded his inheritance for one meal. “Thus Esau despised his birthright.” Hebrews calls him “unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.”

Teaching point: Appetite shouts “I need it now,” and it makes us willing to trade what matters most for what satisfies for a moment. What are we trading our health, our energy and our years of service for?

4. Israel in the wilderness: the graves of craving

Numbers 11:4–6, 18–20, 31–34; Psalm 78:18; 1 Corinthians 10:6

God fed Israel with manna every single morning. But “the rabble that was among them had a strong craving,” and the people wept, “Oh that we had meat to eat!” They even missed the food of Egypt, the land of their slavery. God sent quail, and a plague followed. The place was named Kibroth-hattaavah, “because there they buried the people who had the craving” (Num 11:34). The psalmist sums it up: “They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved” (Ps 78:18).

Paul points to this very story in the chapter our ministry is named from: “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Cor 10:6).

Teaching point: Craving can make us ungrateful for God’s daily provision and nostalgic for the very things that enslaved us.

5. Eli’s sons: taking the best for themselves

1 Samuel 2:12–17, 29

Eli’s sons were priests who took the best portions of the sacrifices for themselves, even before the offering was made to God. God asked Eli why he honored his sons above Him “by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel” (1 Sam 2:29).

Teaching point: This is a warning especially for leaders. Appetite left unchecked can corrupt even people who serve at the altar.

6. Daniel: faithful at the king’s table

Daniel 1:8–16

Far from home, Daniel “resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food.” He asked for vegetables and water, and after ten days he and his friends looked healthier than everyone else.

Teaching point: Faithfulness to God can reach all the way to our plates, and it starts with a decision made ahead of time.

7. Jesus’ first temptation was food

Matthew 4:1–4; Hebrews 4:15

Right after His baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. After forty days of fasting, “he was hungry.” The devil’s very first temptation was about food: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Jesus answered with Scripture: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

See the contrast. Adam and Eve were surrounded by plenty and fell over food. Israel spent forty years in the wilderness and grumbled for food. Jesus, alone and hungry after forty days, said no. He won the very battle we keep losing.

Teaching point: We don’t fight our appetites alone. Jesus “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). His victory becomes our strength, and His weapon, the word of God, becomes ours.

8. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me”

John 4:31–34

When the disciples urged Jesus to eat, He said, “I have food to eat that you do not know about… My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

Teaching point: Our deepest hunger is for God and His purpose. When we’re satisfied in Him, food can go back to being a gift instead of a master.

9. The story ends at a table

Luke 22:14–20; Revelation 19:6–9

The Bible begins with food in a garden and ends with a feast: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9). In between, Jesus gave His church a meal, the Lord’s Supper, to remember His body and blood. What the enemy twisted, God redeems.

Teaching point: Our goal isn’t to fear food. It’s to put it back in its rightful place: received with thanks, enjoyed with self-control, and shared for God’s glory.

Why the church must talk about gluttony

Gluttony is one of the least talked-about sins in the church. We preach against drunkenness, greed and sexual sin, and we should. But Scripture names gluttony too: “Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty” (Prov 23:20–21). Paul weeps over those whose “god is their belly” (Phil 3:19). Often it’s the one sin we celebrate at church dinners.

Say this clearly and graciously:

• Gluttony is about the heart, not body size. It means letting food rule us, reaching for it to fill what only God can fill. Thin people can struggle with it; heavy people may not. Never judge anyone by how they look.
• We all bring our appetites to Jesus. This is a sermon for everyone, starting with the preacher.
• There is a way out. In the same chapter as our ministry’s verse, Paul promises: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape” (1 Cor 10:13).

Sermon outline: The Battle for Your Appetite

1. The enemy targets our appetite (Genesis 3; Genesis 25; Numbers 11). If he can control your appetite, he can control your life: your choices, your health and your years of service.
2. Jesus won where we lost (Matthew 4:1–4; Hebrews 4:15). The first temptation He faced was food, and He answered with the word of God.
3. God gives us a way out (1 Corinthians 10:6–13, 31). Remember the examples, trust God’s faithfulness, take the way of escape, and do all to His glory.

Weekly challenge: Memorize Matthew 4:4. When a craving hits this week, say it out loud, pray, and drink a glass of water before you decide.

Fasting is going without food, or something else, for a time in order to seek God. It is not a diet, and it is not a way to earn God’s favor. It is a way of saying with your whole body, “God, I need You more than I need this.”

Jesus assumed His followers would fast

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches about giving, prayer and fasting in the same breath. Notice His words: “And when you fast…” (Matt 6:16). Not if. He expected it. He also said that after He returned to the Father, His disciples would fast (Matt 9:15).

The early church did. In Acts 13, the church at Antioch was “worshiping the Lord and fasting” when the Holy Spirit sent out Paul and Barnabas. Then they fasted and prayed again before sending them (Acts 13:2–3).

Why believers fast

• To seek God’s guidance before a big decision (Acts 13:2–3; 14:23).
• To humble ourselves and repent: “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting” (Joel 2:12).
• To ask God for help in a crisis, like Esther before she went to the king (Esther 4:16) or Ezra before a dangerous journey (Ezra 8:21–23).
• To grieve a loss (2 Sam 1:12).
• To remember we live by God’s word: “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Matt 4:4).
• To make room to serve others. Isaiah 58 says the fast God chooses includes sharing “your bread with the hungry.”

How to fast the right way

• Keep it between you and God. Jesus warned against fasting to impress people (Matt 6:16–18). You don’t need to announce it.
• Replace eating with prayer. When you would normally eat, spend that time with God instead. Otherwise it’s just skipping a meal.
• Remember it earns nothing. God already loves you in Christ. Fasting doesn’t make Him love you more. It helps you want Him more.
• Let it make you generous. Give the money you would have spent on food to someone in need (Isa 58:6–7).

Types of fasts

The Bible also records absolute fasts (no food or water), like Esther’s three days. These are extreme and can be dangerous. We do not recommend them.

Your first fast, step by step

1. Pick a purpose. Write one sentence: “I’m fasting because…”
2. Start small. Choose one meal, like lunch on a weekday.
3. Plan the time. Decide what you’ll do instead: read a Psalm, pray through your list, take a prayer walk.
4. Drink water. Stay hydrated throughout.
5. Use your hunger. Every time you feel hungry, let it remind you to pray. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Ps 42:1).
6. Break the fast gently. Eat a normal, modest meal. Give thanks.
7. Reflect. What did you notice about God, and about yourself?

What if I get grumpy, or it’s hard?

That’s normal, and it’s part of the point. Fasting shows us how much we lean on food for comfort. When you feel irritable, confess it, ask for grace, and keep going, or stop and eat if you need to. There is no failure in fasting, only practice.

In Daniel 10, Daniel spent three weeks seeking God: “I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth” (Dan 10:3). This guide helps you or your church do the same, with simple food and a daily reading.

A partial fast is gentler than a full fast, but please read the safety guidance first. If you have diabetes, are pregnant or have any health condition, check with your doctor.

What to eat

Some churches also set aside dairy, eggs and caffeine. Decide as a church or family what your fast will include, and keep grace at the center. The goal is seeking God, not keeping a perfect list.

Simple meal ideas

• Breakfast: oatmeal with banana and peanut butter; fruit and a handful of nuts
• Lunch: black bean and rice bowl with salsa and vegetables; lentil soup
• Dinner: vegetable stir-fry over brown rice; bean chili; whole-wheat pasta with tomatoes, spinach and olive oil
• Snacks: apples, carrots and hummus, popcorn, trail mix

Daily readings

Read the passage each morning, and use your hunger or cravings through the day as a reminder to pray.

1. Day 1. Genesis 1:26–31 · God made you and called it good
2. Day 2. Psalm 139:13–18 · Fearfully and wonderfully made
3. Day 3. Daniel 1:8–16 · Faithful at the king’s table
4. Day 4. Matthew 4:1–4 · Not by bread alone
5. Day 5. Matthew 6:16–18 · Fasting in secret
6. Day 6. Isaiah 58:6–12 · The fast God chooses
7. Day 7. Psalm 42:1–5 · Thirsting for God
8. Day 8. Joel 2:12–13 · Return with all your heart
9. Day 9. Ezra 8:21–23 · Humbling ourselves for help
10. Day 10. Esther 4:12–17 · For such a time as this
11. Day 11. 1 Kings 19:1–8 · Arise and eat
12. Day 12. Psalm 34:1–10 · Taste and see
13. Day 13. John 6:25–35 · The bread of life
14. Day 14. 1 Corinthians 10:23–31 · All to the glory of God
15. Day 15. Galatians 5:16–25 · The fruit of self-control
16. Day 16. Romans 12:1–2 · A living sacrifice
17. Day 17. Philippians 4:10–13 · The secret of contentment
18. Day 18. Acts 13:1–3 · Worshiping and fasting
19. Day 19. Daniel 10:1–12 · Three weeks of seeking
20. Day 20. Matthew 11:25–30 · Rest for your souls
21. Day 21. Revelation 19:6–9 · The marriage supper of the Lamb

At the end

Break the fast with a shared meal and thanksgiving. Ask each person: What did God teach you? What will you carry forward?

Throughout Scripture, God’s people fasted together when they needed Him most. A church-wide fast can unite your congregation in prayer, renew hunger for God and mark a new season. This kit walks you through planning one, from six weeks out to the celebration at the end.

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people.” Joel 2:15–16

Biblical examples of fasting together

• Jehoshaphat faced an overwhelming army and “proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (2 Chr 20:3).
• Ezra proclaimed a fast “that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods” (Ezra 8:21).
• Esther asked all the Jews in Susa to fast with her before she went to the king (Esther 4:16).
• Nineveh “called for a fast” and turned from evil (Jonah 3:5).
• The church at Antioch was “worshiping the Lord and fasting” when the Holy Spirit sent out Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2–3).

Step 1: Decide the why, when and how long

Step 2: Leaders go first

Before announcing anything, the pastor, elders and staff commit to the fast themselves and agree to pray daily for the church. A church won’t follow leaders who announce a fast they aren’t keeping. Ask each leader to choose their fast and pair up with a prayer partner. (See the Leadership Commitment.)

Step 3: Offer a fast for everyone

Every person can take part in a way that is safe for them. Make the options equal. No one is “less spiritual” for choosing a non-food fast.

Step 5: The six-week plan

Step 6: A shared prayer focus

Give the whole church the same prayer focus each week so everyone is praying together.

For a 7- or 10-day fast, use one focus for every two or three days.

Step 7: Make it generous

God’s chosen fast includes sharing “your bread with the hungry” (Isa 58:7). Invite everyone to give what they save on food, coffee or eating out to a food pantry, missions partner or benevolence fund. Announce the total at the closing celebration.

Sample announcement

Commitment card

More resources

• A Beginner’s Guide to Biblical Fasting
• 21-Day Daniel Fast with food guide and daily readings
• Fasting Quick Card (print for everyone)
• Hungry for God sermon and kids’ lesson
• Jentezen Franklin’s free Fasting Guide with Daniel Fast recipes

You do not need expensive superfoods or a specialty store to eat well. The healthiest foods in the grocery store are often some of the cheapest. It just takes a plan.

A word about stewardship

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt 6:11). Every meal is God’s provision. After He fed the five thousand, Jesus told His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost” (John 6:12). Planning, shopping wisely and wasting less are not just money tips. They are ways of honoring what God provides.

What “healthy” actually means

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans boil it down to “eat real food”: vegetables, fruit, protein foods, dairy, healthy fats and whole grains, with fewer highly processed foods and added sugars (USDA and HHS). In practice:

• Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit. Frozen and canned count.
• Choose whole grains like oats, brown rice and whole-wheat bread.
• Include a protein food at each meal: beans, eggs, chicken, fish, peanut butter or dairy.
• Drink water instead of soda and sweet drinks.
• Cut back on packaged snacks, sweets and fast food. They cost a lot for how little they feed you.
• Cook with olive oil or beef tallow instead of seed oils (canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed). Tallow is often inexpensive from a local butcher. The biggest sources of seed oils are fried foods, most potato chips, and corn tortilla chips and taco shells, so skipping those saves money too.

Step 1: Plan

1. Check what you have. Look in the fridge, freezer and pantry before you plan anything.
2. Plan 5 dinners, not 7. Leave room for leftovers and a simple “clean out the fridge” night.
3. Cook once, eat twice. A pot of chili becomes lunch tomorrow. A roast chicken becomes soup.
4. Build around cheap staples. Beans, rice, oats, eggs, potatoes and frozen vegetables stretch any meal.
5. Make a list and stick to it. Impulse buys are where budgets break.

Step 2: Shop

• Compare unit prices (the price per ounce on the shelf tag), not package prices.
• Buy store brands. They are usually the same quality for less.
• Frozen is fine. Frozen vegetables and fruit are picked ripe, last for months and cut waste.
• Buy in season. Produce in season is cheaper and tastes better.
• Shop the edges, then the aisles for staples. Fresh food lines the walls; beans, oats and rice are in the middle.
• Don’t shop hungry. Eat something first.
• Use your benefits well. SNAP and WIC can be used for all of the staples on this page. Many farmers’ markets also accept SNAP.

The budget staples list

Step 3: Cook

• Keep it simple. Five ingredients and one pan is plenty.
• Batch cook on the weekend. Cook a pot of beans and a pot of rice for the week.
• Freeze extras in single portions for busy nights.
• Eat together. Families who share meals tend to eat better, and the table is where faith is passed on.

Free tools we trust: USDA SNAP-Ed meal planning and shopping, MyPlate healthy eating on a budget, and SNAP-Ed recipes. Next: try the one-week meal plan.

A week of family meals built on the budget staples list. Dinners are cooked to make leftovers, so lunches take care of themselves.

Every day: water with meals, and fruit or carrots for snacks. Add a vegetable to any meal that doesn’t have one.

Grocery list

Prices vary by region and store. Check store brands, unit prices and weekly sales. Many of these items last beyond one week.

Weekend prep (about 1 hour)

1. Cook a pot of brown rice and a pot of beans (or open cans).
2. Shred the cabbage and chop carrots and onions.
3. Portion yogurt with berries into cups for quick breakfasts.
4. Pray over the week’s meals as a family.

Next: the week two meal plan gives you a two-week rotation, and 10 Budget Dinners adds more ideas.

Pair this with the one-week meal plan and you have a two-week rotation. Most pantry staples carry over from week one, so this grocery trip is usually smaller.

Every day: water with meals, and fruit, carrots or a boiled egg for snacks.

Grocery list

Check your pantry first. Oats, rice, spices, oil and peanut butter from week one will likely last. Prices vary by region and store.

Money-saving moves this week

• Buy the whole chicken. It usually costs less per pound than parts. Roast it Thursday, use the meat Friday, and simmer the bones with onion, carrot and celery for Sunday’s soup.
• Cook dried beans. A pound of dried beans makes about as much as three cans, often for less than the price of one or two. Soak overnight and simmer 1–2 hours, or use a slow cooker.
• Make your own “instant” breakfast. Banana-oat pancakes are just oats, eggs and a ripe banana blended together.
• Stretch meat with beans and vegetables. Half the chicken and twice the vegetables in Friday’s skillet feeds the same family.

Weekend prep (about 1 hour)

1. Soak and cook the dried beans. Cook a big pot of brown rice.
2. Hard-boil a dozen eggs for breakfasts, snacks and egg salad.
3. Wash and chop carrots, celery, onions and cabbage.
4. Pray together over the week ahead and thank God for His provision.

Each of these dinners feeds a family of four from cheap staples: beans, rice, oats, eggs, potatoes, cabbage and frozen vegetables. Most cost about what one person’s fast-food meal would, and many make leftovers for lunch.

Costs vary by region, store and season, so we don’t list exact prices. The rule of thumb: the more a meal leans on beans, eggs, rice, oats, potatoes and frozen vegetables, the less it costs.

Cook it the 1031 way

• Use olive oil or beef tallow instead of seed oils like canola, soybean or corn oil. Tallow is often inexpensive from a local butcher.
• Add a vegetable to every dinner, even if it’s a bag of frozen green beans.
• Serve water at the table instead of soda or sweet tea.
• Double it and freeze half for a busy night.

Want step-by-step recipes with photos? See our healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner, and the free SNAP-Ed recipe library.

A church food pantry is one of the most practical ways a congregation loves its neighbors. With a little planning, it can also help families eat well.

Why it matters

“I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matt 25:35). The families who rely on a food pantry often have the fewest choices and the most stress. Many pantry shelves fill with what is easiest to donate: sugary cereal, snack cakes, chips and soda. We can do better for our neighbors without spending more.

Stock the shelves

Serve with dignity

• Let people choose. A “client choice” pantry, set up like a small store, lets families pick what they will actually eat and cuts waste.
• Put healthy food first. Place the best choices at eye level and at the start of the line.
• Add simple recipe cards. A can of beans is more useful with a three-step recipe beside it. Print cards from our 10 Budget Dinners.
• Never lecture. We offer good food and warm welcome, not judgment about anyone’s cart.
• Pray, if they want. Offer to pray with guests, and never make it a condition of receiving food.

Run a healthy food drive

1. Pick a theme. “Protein Sunday” (beans, tuna, peanut butter) or “Breakfast Week” (oats and low-sugar cereal) gives people a clear target.
2. Publish a short list. Put 8–10 specific items in the bulletin and on social media. Specific lists bring in healthier food than “anything helps.”
3. Include olive oil. Families rarely receive it, and it makes everything else easier to cook.
4. Collect cash too. Many pantries can buy fresh produce and bulk staples for less than retail. Ask your pantry partner.
5. Thank people. Share the total and a story (with permission) so the church sees the fruit.

Sample bulletin announcement

Keep it safe

• Accept only unopened, undamaged, properly labeled food.
• Check dates and rotate stock so the oldest goes out first.
• Keep ingredient labels visible so families managing food allergies can choose safely.
• If you handle fresh or refrigerated food, follow your local health department’s and food bank partner’s guidelines.

A four-week, hands-on cooking class any church can host in its kitchen or fellowship hall. Each session includes a short devotion, one practical skill and a meal everyone cooks and eats together.

The four sessions

Each session (90 minutes)

1. Welcome and prayer (10 min). Name tags, a quick icebreaker, and a prayer of thanks.
2. Devotion (10 min). Read the week’s verse and ask: “How does this change how we think about food?”
3. Skill demo (15 min). The teacher shows the week’s skill: reading a label, cooking dried beans, batch prep.
4. Cook together (35 min). Small groups of 3–4 each make part of the meal.
5. Eat together (15 min). Sit at tables, family style. This is where friendships form.
6. Take-home (5 min). Recipe card, the week’s grocery list, and a small challenge to try at home.

Team and roles

• Class leader: leads the devotion and keeps time.
• Cooking teacher: a confident home cook, church cook or local chef who runs the demo.
• Table helpers: one per small group to help beginners.
• Childcare (optional) so parents can attend. Or invite families and let kids help with safe tasks.

Supplies

• Cutting boards, knives, mixing bowls, measuring cups, sheet pans and a large pot per group
• Extra-virgin olive oil and beef tallow (no seed oils in the church kitchen)
• Printed recipe cards and grocery lists from our meal plans and 10 Budget Dinners
• Name tags, a sign-in sheet, and aprons if you have them
• Food budget: plan on enough groceries to feed each participant a full meal. Ask members to sponsor a session.

Before you start

• Ask about food allergies on the sign-up form and plan around them.
• Follow food-safety basics: wash hands, keep raw meat separate, cook chicken to 165°F, and refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
• Keep it affordable. Make the class free, or ask a small donation with scholarships available.
• Invite the neighborhood. Food pantry guests, school families and neighbors are often glad to come. A cooking class is one of the easiest ways to invite someone to church.

Sample announcement

A pastor cannot carry this alone, and shouldn’t. A small team of 4–8 people turns a good sermon series into a lasting change in the life of the church.

Why a team

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb 10:24). Habits change in community, and a team gives the church visible, ordinary people to follow. It also protects the pastor from becoming the church’s health expert, which is not his job.

Who to recruit

• A leader or coordinator. Organized, warm, follows through. This is the most important seat.
• Someone from the kitchen or hospitality team. Nothing changes at potlucks without them.
• A health professional in your church if you have one: a nurse, dietitian, physical therapist, doctor or trainer. They keep the church from giving bad advice.
• Someone who is in the middle of their own journey, not someone who has it all together. Honesty is more persuasive than fitness.
• A parent or kids’ ministry volunteer to carry it into family life.
• An older member, so the whole thing doesn’t look like it’s for the young and athletic.
• A staff member or elder as the tie to church leadership.

Look for faithfulness and follow-through, not body type. A team of only fit people sends the wrong message on day one.

What the team does

A sample invitation

Your first meeting (60 minutes)

1. Open in prayer (5 min). Ask God for wisdom and humility.
2. Read 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Romans 12:1 (5 min). Ask: what would it look like for our church to take this seriously?
3. The pastor casts vision (10 min). Why now, and what we are not doing: no weigh-ins, no comparisons, no guilt.
4. Go around the room (15 min). Each person shares one honest sentence about their own health, and one hope for the church.
5. Pick a launch date (10 min). Right after the first of the year works best; fall is a strong second. See the Q&A.
6. Assign roles (10 min) using the table above.
7. Agree on the next step (5 min). Usually: run the congregation survey and review the launch checklist.

A rhythm that lasts

• Meet monthly for 45–60 minutes. Longer meetings kill volunteer teams.
• Start every meeting with Scripture and prayer, not logistics.
• One focus per month. Use the 12-month health calendar.
• Report to the elders twice a year so this stays a church priority, not a side project.
• Rotate people off after a year with thanks, and recruit fresh help.

Guardrails the team agrees to

• No public weigh-ins, before-and-after photos or “biggest loser” contests.
• No comments about anyone’s body, ever, including our own in a self-critical way.
• Every challenge has an option for someone with illness, disability or a tight budget.
• We are not doctors. We encourage people to talk with theirs.
• Grace, not guilt. Always.