I have been preaching on the 7 "D"s of Kingdom People. Last Sunday, it was on "Discipline Our Whole Being" i.e. body, soul (mind, will & emotion) and spirit. Paul says in [1 Corin. 9:24-27] that "...in a race all the runners run.....everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training...for the prize". It is amazing how the health of one faculty of our whole being can affect the rest. We cannot be spiritually strong if our body is tired easily or sick often. All parts of our whole make-up need to be healthy if we desire to perform at our fullest potential in God.
So often, I see Christians with great heart & spirit handicapped in serving God due to poor physical health. Food, exercise and rest all play an important part in our physical health, which in turn impacts the health of our soul and spirit.
This week I stumbled across a booklet titled "Nutrition" in a bookshop. Nutrition is of a Latin origin meaning to nourish. The 2 basic function of nutrition are:
1) to provide individual building blocks enabling the construction of and renewal of the body
2) to supply the necessary fuel for our bodies to perform.
The booklet says that the dietary habits of today are not encouraging good health. Good health means a state of permanent well-being in which we are full of energy, with a strong able body, alert mind and balanced emotions. Together with a strong immune system that wards off infections and disease. A part of the foundation of good health is good nutrition.
A nutrient is a chemical substance in food that is used by the body to promote normal growth, maintenance and repair, and it assists in the metabolism (chemical process) of the body. Six categories of nutrients include water, carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamin and minerals.
I was a little surprised to learn that increasing our water (which can just be tap water) consumption is an effective way of nourishing our body's needs. Water is involved in nearly every bodily process including digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion. Water is involved in the function of transportation of all nutrients throughout the body and assists in the elimination of waste products out of the body. The body's utilisation of water is at least 3 litres a day to perform its required functions. And an essential part of our diet is the consumption of water. It is important to drink A MINIMUM OF 8 GLASSES OF WATER every day. I wonder how many people do that. I for one was not doing it. I am now :o)
Besides drinking plenty of water, a healthy diet means an ABUNDANCE of fruits, vegetables and grains; a MODERATE amount of dairy products, nuts, eggs, meat; a REDUCTION in fat, salt, sugar, butter, cream, alcohol, tea (herbal tea is fine) and coffee. Hmmmm, a lot of food for thought and action!
I often am amazed at God's creation of the human body. It is soooo complex and wonderfully made. It is up to us to take good care of it. The Maker's manual, i.e. The Word of God will give us the understanding we need. "Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them......I do not forget your precepts.....your commands are my delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live [Ps 119:139-144 NIV]."
Joseph had also put God's promises and His Word to the test. His integrity got him into trouble with his master Potiphar, who "took him and put him in prison....But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there......the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did [Gen 39:16-23 NIV]." His obedience of God's Word finally yielded dividends.
God is no respecter of men. He does not mince word. He meant exactly what He said. As a result, "many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"....... He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him [John 6:53-70 NIV]." We should be glad that God the Father had touched us by His Spirit that we would come to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour!
"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.....A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul [Prov 18:2,6-7 NIV]." Let us be a fool in Christ, but not a fool in the world.
So often, I see Christians with great heart & spirit handicapped in serving God due to poor physical health. Food, exercise and rest all play an important part in our physical health, which in turn impacts the health of our soul and spirit.
This week I stumbled across a booklet titled "Nutrition" in a bookshop. Nutrition is of a Latin origin meaning to nourish. The 2 basic function of nutrition are:
1) to provide individual building blocks enabling the construction of and renewal of the body
2) to supply the necessary fuel for our bodies to perform.
The booklet says that the dietary habits of today are not encouraging good health. Good health means a state of permanent well-being in which we are full of energy, with a strong able body, alert mind and balanced emotions. Together with a strong immune system that wards off infections and disease. A part of the foundation of good health is good nutrition.
A nutrient is a chemical substance in food that is used by the body to promote normal growth, maintenance and repair, and it assists in the metabolism (chemical process) of the body. Six categories of nutrients include water, carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamin and minerals.
I was a little surprised to learn that increasing our water (which can just be tap water) consumption is an effective way of nourishing our body's needs. Water is involved in nearly every bodily process including digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion. Water is involved in the function of transportation of all nutrients throughout the body and assists in the elimination of waste products out of the body. The body's utilisation of water is at least 3 litres a day to perform its required functions. And an essential part of our diet is the consumption of water. It is important to drink A MINIMUM OF 8 GLASSES OF WATER every day. I wonder how many people do that. I for one was not doing it. I am now :o)
Besides drinking plenty of water, a healthy diet means an ABUNDANCE of fruits, vegetables and grains; a MODERATE amount of dairy products, nuts, eggs, meat; a REDUCTION in fat, salt, sugar, butter, cream, alcohol, tea (herbal tea is fine) and coffee. Hmmmm, a lot of food for thought and action!
I often am amazed at God's creation of the human body. It is soooo complex and wonderfully made. It is up to us to take good care of it. The Maker's manual, i.e. The Word of God will give us the understanding we need. "Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them......I do not forget your precepts.....your commands are my delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live [Ps 119:139-144 NIV]."
Joseph had also put God's promises and His Word to the test. His integrity got him into trouble with his master Potiphar, who "took him and put him in prison....But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there......the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did [Gen 39:16-23 NIV]." His obedience of God's Word finally yielded dividends.
God is no respecter of men. He does not mince word. He meant exactly what He said. As a result, "many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"....... He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him [John 6:53-70 NIV]." We should be glad that God the Father had touched us by His Spirit that we would come to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour!
"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.....A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul [Prov 18:2,6-7 NIV]." Let us be a fool in Christ, but not a fool in the world.
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