Does the Body Matter?

Since we are all spiritual beings, does our body matter? Does God care how we treat this body we have? I've known people on either end of the spectrum with this question - there are those who watch everything they put in their bodies and vigorously exercise regularly, and there are those who eat whatever they want and practice the remote-lifting exercise as they watch TV each night. I tend to fall more on the good diet and exercise end of the spectrum, but I've always wondered if God involves himself in our lives this way. 

I've heard people say that this body doesn't matter since we're all looking forward to heaven, and I agree in a way. This body is not the end-all-be-all of our existence, and I'm thankful for that because my body is a bit of a mess with herniated discs, arthritis, and high blood pressure. I look forward to the day I enter heaven and receive my new, spiritual body. However, I don't think the fact that we get a new body in heaven is any excuse for us to mistreat the body we've been given here. 

Let's look at some verses together and see what God has to say about the topic. 
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body."
Romans 6:11-14 - "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
Romans 12:1-2 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I could keep going, but I think these verses provide enough food for thought. What do we learn about our bodies from these passages? Our bodies are God's temple; we are to offer our bodies to God to be used for righteousness, not sin; our spiritual act of worship is offering our bodies to God as living sacrifices and allowing him to transform us. 

I get the impression that God does indeed care how we treat the body we've been given. Think about this for a minute - if you mistreat your body and end up trapped in your own bed at 600 lbs or lose a foot to diabetes due to obesity or get lung cancer from smoking for years, how are you serving God? What glory do you bring him by eating or smoking or drugging yourself into an early grave? 

Look at the passages above again - we have to break out of the world's pattern. We aren't here to serve our own nature; we're here to serve God and do his will. If we're too busy pleasing ourselves and making poor choices for our mortal bodies, we aren't leaving time or energy to work for the Lord and his eternal kingdom.