July 18, 2000
Hard physical work leaves me stiff and sore but after a week of not doing any hard work, I am stiff and sore anyway. My body demands some TLC. I try a warm-up, some light exercises, a walk, and some stretching. It really helps. “Use it or lose it” is definitely true when it comes to flexibility and muscle tone. A body needs exercise.
There are several ways to keep physically fit. We realize the value of a good diet, rest and exercise, but do we know how much our emotions affect our body?
For instance, love produces endorphins and a sense of health, but anger reduces our white blood cell count, making us more susceptible to illness. God may have had more in mind than our spiritual health when He said, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”
Other sins affect our body too. First Corinthians says, “He who sins sexually sins against his own body.” Widespread venereal disease and AIDS prove the physical harm caused from disregarding what the Bible says about sexual purity. But any sin can affect our health. Israel’s King David, wrote Psalm 38 as a prayer. He was not specific about his sin but very specific about the harm it caused his body:
“Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin . . . . My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly . . . . My back is filled with searing pain . . . . I am feeble and utterly crushed . . . . My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.”
My body experiences negative changes from guilt also. I am fatigued, sad, unable to concentrate or be creative, and sometimes I get sick.
While not all illness is related to unconfessed sin, the Bible tells us to consider it. James 5 says, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
This passage offers a spiritual cause for some illnesses. It also offers a cure. Deal with the sin by confession because it promotes healing.
Confession simply means to agree with God. If He says we have done something wrong or evil and have broken His law, we need to acknowledge that what He says is true and right.
However, verbal confession is not a panacea or a magic formula based on the words we say because God is not a genie we rub with the right words every time we want something. He knows our hearts and the reasoning behind what we do. Our words must come from a genuine sense of guilt and a heartfelt need for forgiveness. He looks for sincerity before He “forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.”
If sin prevents full health, my body may be healed through confession, but it is not made perfect. No matter how well I take care of myself, my body will always have some limitations. Yet I do have hope. Someday “Those who are of the earth will bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”
God promises those who trust in Jesus Christ that they will someday have a body like His resurrected body. Sin and death will no longer have power to drag us into illness. Anger will no longer affect our white count. We will be delivered from it and from every other limitation of living in a sinful world in these imperfect bodies.
In the meantime, eat right, drink lots of water, get good exercise and rest, and trust in the Lord with all your heart; it is good for a body.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Friday, December 8, 2017
Friday, August 4, 2017
Enjoying a healthy body? .......... Parables 623
December 29, 1998
Rheumatoid arthritis and AIDS are quite different disorders but both are related to the auto-immune system. In RA, the body becomes confused and attacks its own joint fluid as an enemy. Without lubrication, bones grind and wear against each other causing pain and disability.
In AIDS, the auto-immune system is not confused; it just quits. The body loses its capacity to fight external enemies and dies from illnesses such as pneumonia.
While the human body is an amazing organism, these two conditions illustrate how one part working contrary to its intended purpose produces painful and even deadly results.
The New Testament uses the human body as a metaphor for spiritual unity. Those who believe in Christ should function together, just as the parts of our body should.
For instance, the Apostle Paul talks about spiritual gifts by pointing out that each believer has a different gift, just as each part of the body has a different job to do. The eye is not the hand and the hand is not the eye. Each needs the other so all can function.
As a body has many members so it can work properly, so does the Body of Christ. This analogy helps Christians appreciate both our oneness and our differences. It also illustrates the importance of working together. When each part of a healthy body cooperates, that body is strong and productive. The Bible says, “From Christ the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and build itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
However, this analogy also can describe what happens when Christians set themselves against one another. If we do not appreciate our differences, reject unity and refuse to cooperate, we are like a malfunctioning auto-immune system. The results are just as disastrous.
In love, we function like healthy bones and ligaments but if we do not keep ourselves in right relationships with mutual support and instead begin fighting, we are like rheumatoid arthritis. We are destroying necessary “lubrication” and begin to wear and grate against each other.
Loving one another is vital, not only to our health but to our appearance. Jesus said the world will evaluate us by our love (or lack of it) for one another. If the Body of Christ malfunctions, we experience personal and corporate pain and become crippled, even totally disabled, in our ministry to others. Besides, the Bible says if one member hurts, all hurt. In-fighting is like shooting ourselves in the foot.
A malfunctioning Body of Christians has another problem suggested by the analogy and how a human body suffers if it has AIDS. Spiritually, the Bible is clear that the Christian struggle “is not against flesh and blood” but is against “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” When we pit ourselves against each other, we become helpless against external enemies. Satan and the powers of evil can easily defeat us.
Paul wrote that if we “yield to God and resist the devil, he will flee” from us. Notice what comes first: yielding to God. The Bible defines that simply as loving Him and loving one another. Jesus said that we show our love for God by loving other Christians.
Everyone wants a healthy body. We do what we can with rest, proper diet, exercise and regular care. In fact, these exercises occupy a major portion of our lives. What a difference it would make if we gave as much attention and effort toward maintaining health in the Body of Christ.
Rheumatoid arthritis and AIDS are quite different disorders but both are related to the auto-immune system. In RA, the body becomes confused and attacks its own joint fluid as an enemy. Without lubrication, bones grind and wear against each other causing pain and disability.
In AIDS, the auto-immune system is not confused; it just quits. The body loses its capacity to fight external enemies and dies from illnesses such as pneumonia.
While the human body is an amazing organism, these two conditions illustrate how one part working contrary to its intended purpose produces painful and even deadly results.
The New Testament uses the human body as a metaphor for spiritual unity. Those who believe in Christ should function together, just as the parts of our body should.
For instance, the Apostle Paul talks about spiritual gifts by pointing out that each believer has a different gift, just as each part of the body has a different job to do. The eye is not the hand and the hand is not the eye. Each needs the other so all can function.
As a body has many members so it can work properly, so does the Body of Christ. This analogy helps Christians appreciate both our oneness and our differences. It also illustrates the importance of working together. When each part of a healthy body cooperates, that body is strong and productive. The Bible says, “From Christ the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and build itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
However, this analogy also can describe what happens when Christians set themselves against one another. If we do not appreciate our differences, reject unity and refuse to cooperate, we are like a malfunctioning auto-immune system. The results are just as disastrous.
In love, we function like healthy bones and ligaments but if we do not keep ourselves in right relationships with mutual support and instead begin fighting, we are like rheumatoid arthritis. We are destroying necessary “lubrication” and begin to wear and grate against each other.
Loving one another is vital, not only to our health but to our appearance. Jesus said the world will evaluate us by our love (or lack of it) for one another. If the Body of Christ malfunctions, we experience personal and corporate pain and become crippled, even totally disabled, in our ministry to others. Besides, the Bible says if one member hurts, all hurt. In-fighting is like shooting ourselves in the foot.
A malfunctioning Body of Christians has another problem suggested by the analogy and how a human body suffers if it has AIDS. Spiritually, the Bible is clear that the Christian struggle “is not against flesh and blood” but is against “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” When we pit ourselves against each other, we become helpless against external enemies. Satan and the powers of evil can easily defeat us.
Paul wrote that if we “yield to God and resist the devil, he will flee” from us. Notice what comes first: yielding to God. The Bible defines that simply as loving Him and loving one another. Jesus said that we show our love for God by loving other Christians.
Everyone wants a healthy body. We do what we can with rest, proper diet, exercise and regular care. In fact, these exercises occupy a major portion of our lives. What a difference it would make if we gave as much attention and effort toward maintaining health in the Body of Christ.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Faith and Good Health .......... Parables 540
January 7, 1997
At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, several doctors presented evidence that linked religious beliefs to good health. They said, “people who attend church are both physically healthier and less depressed” and “prayer is good for you.”
Some of their evidence came from a controversial study conducted in San Francisco. Of nearly 400 ill heart patients, half were prayed for, half were not. None knew which group they were in, yet results showed that those prayed for suffered fewer health complications. A doctor said, “This is outside the realm of science. If God heals, it’s a matter of faith. We can’t prove it.”
These doctors are having difficulty explaining their discoveries and admit “health professionals tend to be less religious than the general population.”
Several years ago, S. I. McMillen wrote a book called “None of These Diseases.” This book also looks at the link between faith and health. The title came from an Old Testament promise in which God told His people, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
According to this book, medical research shows that a lifestyle of faith affects stress. Philippians 4:6,7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Faith produces freedom from anxiety by opening the mind to God’s indescribable peace. This has obvious effects on the body. Besides enjoying reduced stress, people of faith are less likely to abuse their bodies with “escapes” such as alcohol and drugs.
McMillen points out that many Old Testament laws are linked to health also. The Israelites were forbidden to eat pork that we now know carries trichinosis. They were also supposed to circumcise their baby boys on the eighth day. Today, medical science links this practice with reduction of certain diseases and cancers. Also, the eighth day is well-timed to coincide with the startup of a baby’s natural immune system.
McMillen makes it clear that “religion” is different from biblical faith. Those who believe and obey God’s Word involve themselves in a community of caring believers, strive for healthy relationships and look outward rather than inward in self-serving activities. Biblical faith is not “What can I do for God?” but “Praise God, look what He has done for me!”
This coincides with one other result from the above study. The doctors say anyone who stays home to pray alone or watch television evangelists “actually are worse off than other folks.”
It seems safe to conclude that those who reap the greatest benefit to their personal health are those with genuine biblical faith that motivates and empowers them to serve others.
As the New Year begins, we resolve to eat less, exercise more and take better care of our bodies. While faith is not intended to be a substitute for exercise, nutritional meals and adequate rest, it might be something to add to the list.
At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, several doctors presented evidence that linked religious beliefs to good health. They said, “people who attend church are both physically healthier and less depressed” and “prayer is good for you.”
Some of their evidence came from a controversial study conducted in San Francisco. Of nearly 400 ill heart patients, half were prayed for, half were not. None knew which group they were in, yet results showed that those prayed for suffered fewer health complications. A doctor said, “This is outside the realm of science. If God heals, it’s a matter of faith. We can’t prove it.”
These doctors are having difficulty explaining their discoveries and admit “health professionals tend to be less religious than the general population.”
Several years ago, S. I. McMillen wrote a book called “None of These Diseases.” This book also looks at the link between faith and health. The title came from an Old Testament promise in which God told His people, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
According to this book, medical research shows that a lifestyle of faith affects stress. Philippians 4:6,7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Faith produces freedom from anxiety by opening the mind to God’s indescribable peace. This has obvious effects on the body. Besides enjoying reduced stress, people of faith are less likely to abuse their bodies with “escapes” such as alcohol and drugs.
McMillen points out that many Old Testament laws are linked to health also. The Israelites were forbidden to eat pork that we now know carries trichinosis. They were also supposed to circumcise their baby boys on the eighth day. Today, medical science links this practice with reduction of certain diseases and cancers. Also, the eighth day is well-timed to coincide with the startup of a baby’s natural immune system.
McMillen makes it clear that “religion” is different from biblical faith. Those who believe and obey God’s Word involve themselves in a community of caring believers, strive for healthy relationships and look outward rather than inward in self-serving activities. Biblical faith is not “What can I do for God?” but “Praise God, look what He has done for me!”
This coincides with one other result from the above study. The doctors say anyone who stays home to pray alone or watch television evangelists “actually are worse off than other folks.”
It seems safe to conclude that those who reap the greatest benefit to their personal health are those with genuine biblical faith that motivates and empowers them to serve others.
As the New Year begins, we resolve to eat less, exercise more and take better care of our bodies. While faith is not intended to be a substitute for exercise, nutritional meals and adequate rest, it might be something to add to the list.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Health and the power of love ........................ Parables 118
Nearly everyone wants to be healthy. Without this desire, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical researchers, medical technologists, X-ray technicians, health food stores, the vitamin industry and a host of other professional people and services would have nothing to do!
Another product of the normal desire to be healthy, PREVENTION Magazine, recently contained an article that lists steps toward a healthy heart. Besides exercise, a low-cholesterol diet, etc., they said that researchers have found that the typical type-A person, hard-driving and ambitious, was not as prone to heart problems as was once thought. In fact, some Type-A’s were and some were not.
It was discovered that it’s not the hard work and constant activity that got a type-A into trouble but hostility! Furthermore, it is not merely being irritable that’s so dangerous, but rude, abrasive, cynical, vengeful, manipulative or condescending treatment of others. Evidently, research has found that hostility is deadly.
Another article was entitled, “Think Yourself Healthy.” It said that when a group of students were shown a film designed to inspire feelings of love and caring, an antibody that protects against colds and upper respiratory infections actually increased in their systems. When they were shown a film that evoked feelings of aggression or helplessness, their normal antibody level dropped.
It was also found from these studies (at Harvard) that higher intimacy, deeper friendships, and the state of being “in love” corresponded with higher levels of resistance to infection. People with pets or plants to care for recover from illnesses more quickly. People who receive loving care also recover faster than those who do not.
Amazingly enough, research has finally uncovered some things that our “Manufacturer’s Manual” has been telling us all along. It says: “Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD and depart from evil - it shall be health to your body and nourishment to your bones . . . My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart - for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” (Proverbs 3)
Do you realize these Biblical words of advice were written more than 2500 years ago? There were no laboratories, no microscopes, no test-cases or control groups. Most of the people, if they thought about it at all, connected disease with evil spirits or fate, not with unsanitary conditions or BEHAVIOR. Life was short and scientific ignorance abounded.
Yet God tells them, and us, to be polite and gentle, kind to others, offering hope and encouragement, treating people as we would want them to treat us. As a result, we will not only please Him, but have a bonus of a fuller, healthier life.
While the Bible is not intended to be a medical journal, when it speaks about things concerning health, it is accurate because the men who wrote it were God-inspired. The Creator knows how we best function. Attitudes of aggression, fear, isolation, apathy, and hate are harmful to bodily performance and can bring breakdown-conditions, illness and even death. These findings today verify the dependability of God’s Word, and only affirm what the saints of old already knew.
Another product of the normal desire to be healthy, PREVENTION Magazine, recently contained an article that lists steps toward a healthy heart. Besides exercise, a low-cholesterol diet, etc., they said that researchers have found that the typical type-A person, hard-driving and ambitious, was not as prone to heart problems as was once thought. In fact, some Type-A’s were and some were not.
It was discovered that it’s not the hard work and constant activity that got a type-A into trouble but hostility! Furthermore, it is not merely being irritable that’s so dangerous, but rude, abrasive, cynical, vengeful, manipulative or condescending treatment of others. Evidently, research has found that hostility is deadly.
Another article was entitled, “Think Yourself Healthy.” It said that when a group of students were shown a film designed to inspire feelings of love and caring, an antibody that protects against colds and upper respiratory infections actually increased in their systems. When they were shown a film that evoked feelings of aggression or helplessness, their normal antibody level dropped.
It was also found from these studies (at Harvard) that higher intimacy, deeper friendships, and the state of being “in love” corresponded with higher levels of resistance to infection. People with pets or plants to care for recover from illnesses more quickly. People who receive loving care also recover faster than those who do not.
Amazingly enough, research has finally uncovered some things that our “Manufacturer’s Manual” has been telling us all along. It says: “Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD and depart from evil - it shall be health to your body and nourishment to your bones . . . My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart - for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” (Proverbs 3)
Do you realize these Biblical words of advice were written more than 2500 years ago? There were no laboratories, no microscopes, no test-cases or control groups. Most of the people, if they thought about it at all, connected disease with evil spirits or fate, not with unsanitary conditions or BEHAVIOR. Life was short and scientific ignorance abounded.
Yet God tells them, and us, to be polite and gentle, kind to others, offering hope and encouragement, treating people as we would want them to treat us. As a result, we will not only please Him, but have a bonus of a fuller, healthier life.
While the Bible is not intended to be a medical journal, when it speaks about things concerning health, it is accurate because the men who wrote it were God-inspired. The Creator knows how we best function. Attitudes of aggression, fear, isolation, apathy, and hate are harmful to bodily performance and can bring breakdown-conditions, illness and even death. These findings today verify the dependability of God’s Word, and only affirm what the saints of old already knew.
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