Wednesday: Stewards of Our Health
As we have seen throughout this quarter, God’s original Creation was “good,” even “very good.”
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. What is our responsibility to God regarding the care of our bodies?
Our bodies are the vehicle for our brain, and it is through our brain that the Holy Spirit communicates with us. If we wish to have communion with God, we must take care of our bodies and brains. If we abuse our bodies, we destroy ourselves, both physically and spiritually. According to these texts, the whole question of health itself, and how we take care of our bodies, the “temple of God,” is a moral issue, one filled with eternal consequences.
Care of our health is a vital part of our relationship to God. Obviously, some aspects of our health are beyond our power. We all have defective genes, we all are exposed to unknown chemicals or other damaging agents, and we are all at risk of physical injury that may damage our health. God knows all this. But to the extent that lies within our power, we are to do our best to maintain our bodies, made in the image of God.
“Let none who profess godliness regard with indifference the health of the body, and flatter themselves that intemperance is no sin, and will not affect their spirituality. A close sympathy exists between the physical and the moral nature. The standard of virtue is elevated or degraded by the physical habits. . . . Any habit which does not promote healthful action in the human system degrades the higher and nobler faculties.”-Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald,Jan. 25, 1881.
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Sometimes we regard our blood type as a driving force for our health. E.g A Group O+ blood type is strong. I could get malaria and not go the hospital because I just assume that i will get well because my blood type is strong...It is not about that blood type but the understanding that I am God's creation and that as a great creation of God who holds my ORIGIN, I must take care of myself because the Holy Spirit as mentioned in 1Corithians6:19 lives in me. In the HEALTHY ME
Is good health a prerequisite for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? That was not a requirement at Pentecost. I do not think it very different today. Salvation is not dependent on my level of physical fitness. Paul had a lifelong ailment. Yet he was Spirit filled...
Lincoln you have to understand that its noτ̩̩ talking about having an ailment, but we should strive to keep our bodies holy and clean and this entails Wat we eat, our behaviours and other things wen our bodies r defiled in one way or d other the holy spirit won't dwell in them
Lincoln, as I see it I don't think anyone is really saying that good health is a prerequisite to the presence of the Holy Spirit which is given as a down payment to salvation (Eph 1:13-14). That would make our faith a works based religion which is condemned in the New Testament.
What I would say is that it is pretty hard to maintain a religious spirit when a person is hurting for no apparent reason. While Job had real physical problems and a great amount of pain he vented his anguish in questioning God's judgment, something that under normal circumstances he would more than likely never think of doing.
Good health is a blessing that allows us the freedom to focus on the real issues rather than the immediate pain we feel. Besides, what testimony are we giving about God's creation when we neglect our bodies.
Good health is not a prerequisite for salvation,but healthy living is.
There are many whose health has been compromised such as Helen
Keller and others,yet love and served God. However a Christian will
Seek to to glorify God even in the way he lives, and that includes the way he takes care of his body.
You are right, good health is not a prerequiste of the Holy Spirit, and salvation is not dependent on my level of physical fitness. We however have a responsibility in the care that we give our bodies. Illness and death came as a result of sin or man's disobedience to the commandments of God, but our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And if we understand who the Holy Spirit is then we will do every thing in our power to make His abode a suitable and clean one.
Care of our health is a vital part of our relationship to God.
Obviously, some aspects of our health are beyond our power. We all have defective genes, we all are exposed to unknown chemicals or other damaging agents, and we are all at risk of physical injury that may damage our health. God knows all this. But to the extent that lies within our power, we are to do our best to maintain our bodies, made in the image of God.
I cannot hold myself up as an example in many respects because I have a chronic illness for which there is no cure. However, I am still a steward of the good gifts God gives me. I must continue to live up to what I know to be good health practices and live a balanced lifestyle as far as I have the ability. Prayer does help me to keep doing my best every day even though my body is weak. I am thankful that God performs His miracle of healing in my life every day!
This body that we have, it being a gift from God, we should take good care of it. We have been commanded to do so. And so we should as much as we can try to obey the command and be good stewards of our own body, which mark you is a temple of the Lord. Else, face the Lords Judgement
@ Lincoln Solomon, good day sir, hope you are having a wonderful day. I agree that salvation is dependent on our health however, it is clear that our mind is the vehicle for the holy spirit. degrading our body, will affect our minds. take the three young Hebrews and their diet. I am not a vegetarian by any means but take for instance when you over eat, how well does your brain work? When you drinking to the extent of drunkenness how well do you react. All of these things are part of our health and when we can't think straight how can we tell when the holy spirit if communicating with us? Just a few questions. our tendency is to do things that pleases us and indulging in things and being intemperance is not good for our body.
It is amazing how easy it is to separate the physical from the spiritual when it comes to how we treat our body. The rigors of work, the clamors of academia and our ever demanding family routines compel us to a life of intemperance. We tend to slow down only when pounced upon by sickness or tragedy. I am reminded of a passage in Revelation that speaks to the restlessness of those who have the mark of the beast. This kind of existence is so far from the Edenic life to which the Creator has called us. Of course, I can't deny the obvious hardship of the average person, which makes living up to God's ideal nigh impossible. Still, we can't afford to forget that "Any habit which does not promote healthful action in the human system degrades the higher and nobler faculties.” We are bought with a price and should constantly seek to preserve God's temple for His glory.
Our body is the temple off God we are to glorify God with our body and in your spirit which are gods we are made in the image off God perfect obedience to gods command
Your body is a temple of God so you must take of it because this is the way to communicate to God
To eat,drink and live in the environment of poor sanitary condition is to destroy God's temple(our bodies). In this sense in the judgement day we will have case to answer because we have shown in the scripture what to eat and drink for better health and also how and where to live for guidance of His temple.
If we can prepare our bodies for the sake of Holy spirit’s home, the physical injuries has not implication for eternal life inheritance
Neatness leads to Godliness.As a good Christian,personal higien should be your great interest.Good health will aid in good moral upright because if you are not worthy how can you have the appreciation of worshiping God.We need to untidy our environment of which our various destinations are part.Let us make our places clean to prevent us from diseases.
Good health will make you be able to walk and preach places and your prime thoughts are the things of haven and not going to the herbalist or witchdoctors to get help, you will not spent all your time tripping to the hospital for care. practice good life and it will be a blessing while on earth.
God's intention when He created man was to be always healthy but man has defiled himself by consuming the diet that he was instructed not to eat.From the biblical point of view ;we need to be temperate .May God help us to be healthy always.Amen
My body is the temple of God.Should be careful how i use it and care for it always.
Am an Adventist elder,yesterday I was given the responsibility of presenting health talk that will run for three weeks at a local crusade.Kindly assist me health lessons especially those on power point.
I trust you will have a good amount of time to prepare. If so, you may be able to find something suitable on our Health Resources page.