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Nov 03, 2013

Pre-Expeditionary Health Check

Passage: 1 Corinthians 6:19

Series: I Thessalonians--Empowered Expeditions

Category: Discipleship, Stewardship, New Testament, Christian Walk

Keywords: health, healthcare, thessalonians, temple, physical, life, diet, mission, jesus

Summary:

We’re in this series “Empowered Expeditions” which is a study of the book of 1 Thessalonians in the Bible. In keeping with the theme of the series and the mood of our nation as of late, I thought it would be appropriate to address the topic of healthcare. The book of 1 Thessalonians is not about healthcare. Reading it alone, you’re not likely to have an epiphany about what insurance company you might choose, what your diet should be, or how many laps in the pool you need to do. God does lay out healthy standards of diet, rest, and medical care in the Old Testament but the premise for that is also laid out clearly, namely, He is the God that has redeemed them out of Egypt, they are His people, therefore they need to do thus—obey God’s instructions, whatever area of life. What is that basis? Why should healthcare be important to the life of a believer.

Detail:

Expeditionary Healthcare

John is out of town this weekend, so I get to preach the Word. We’re in this series “Empowered Expeditions” which is a study of the book of 1 Thessalonians in the Bible. In keeping with the theme of the series and the mood of our nation as of late, I thought it would be appropriate to address the topic of healthcare. The book of 1 Thessalonians is not about healthcare. Reading it alone, you’re not likely to have an epiphany about what insurance company you might choose, what your diet should be, or how many laps in the pool you need to do.

God does lay out healthy standards of diet, rest, and medical care in the Old Testament but the premise for that is also laid out clearly, namely, He is the God that has redeemed them out of Egypt, they are His people, therefore they need to do thus—obey God’s instructions, whatever area of life.

The temptation for a message like this is to lay out a list of guidelines on how to do health care better. But as soon as that list is out there, the temptation is to take the appropriate items from that list and use them to ‘take control’ of one’s life. This is the opposite of the message I would like to share today.

Because I felt this topic was both timely, necessary, and it fit the theme of an Empowered Expedition was why I chose it . Before you take a long journey through the jungles of Spokane farther out, you should make sure you’re in adequate health to do so. You may check the oil in car as well. So, I set out to find some examples of teaching about health and examples in Paul’s life and ministry. What I actually found in doing so was quite disturbing at first.

Check it out. In Galatians 4 we read:

Galatians 4:12–15 (NASB95)

12       I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong;

13       but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time;

14       and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.

15       Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

OK, illness, you can’t control that because you don’t know it’s coming. But really, if you knew a physical difficulty was coming, surely you’d want to prevent it so that you wouldn’t be a burden on others or society. Right? Makes sense:

Right there in 1 Thess 3:4-5

‎For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.

     ‎5      For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.

Baffling. But we know that Paul was an intelligent man who wrote these letters that changed the world. The man wrote words that have been the basis for wars and church splits, words that have caused healing and division in the church. This man, surely was mentally healthy, right?

2 Corinthians 1:8–9 (NASB95)

   8       For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;

   9       indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (NASB95)

   8       we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;

   9       persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

These are lyrics we sing in church, Trading My Sorrows. Paul, here speaks triumphantly of times when he wasn’t feeling so peppy…despairing of life. That doesn’t sound healthy.

2 Corinthians 11:24–30 (NASB95)

24       Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

25       Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

26       I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;

27       I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

28       Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

29       Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?

30       If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.

This does not, to me, sound like a healthy lifestyle, like one who is properly taking care of the temple God. Paul doesn’t point to his six pack abs, he boasts rather in his weakness. Ugh! Maybe I need to go beyond the life of Paul here. So, we look at  nutrition and sure we do read a lot of common sense examples like eating in general, it’s a good habit. And I think I do understand refraining from pork products, shellfish, and other scavenger type animals. There is even a Proverb about cooking your meat thoroughly before eating.

Proverbs 12:27 (NIV84)

27    The lazy man does not roast his game,

but the diligent man prizes his possessions.

Speaking of roasting meat, how many of you like a good barbecue? What do you barbecue you food over? Coal? We use a propane gas grill. My neighbor has always had a nice gas grill, but recently he changed back over one that used charcoal briquettes. In Japan they use hardwood charcoal. Charcoal made from wood:

 

I wonder if one is healthier than the other. I wonder if there is carbon monoxide that will poison the meat or is an environmental issue that is more conscious of those around us. There actually is a passage in scripture where God gives instruction to a prophet on what to use for charcoal:

Ezekiel 4:12 (NIV84)

12 Eat the food as you would a barley cake; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.”

That’s disgusting. Barley cake? Can you imagine a cake made out of barley?

Ezekiel does balk at the idea of using human poop as charcoal and God gives him a pass on that lets him cow poop instead. But only from grass fed cows.

Ezekiel 4:14–15 (NIV84)

14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.”

15 “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow manure instead of human excrement.”

 

Not only all that, but Jesus himself goes forty days without eating anything. Are seeing the theme here? Our ideas of health and Biblical examples by Godly men seem to be odds with one another. And, you are going to see examples that do line up with what we would perceive as healthy guidelines in the Bible. But how would you go about finding instruction about healthcare from this Bible with so many varied and seemingly contradictory examples? “I’m blind, somebody please put mud in my eye.”

Well, when we go to the Bible asking questions like, “What shall I eat? How shall I exercise? Or With what entertainments shall I edify my mind?” we’re already starting off wrong. There, I think, four questions that need answering first. They are: (you might want to write these down if you’re taking notes): Who are we, how are we, why are we, and whose are we.

Who We Are:

So, who are we? We are saints. Today, on the church calendar, if you follow such things is, All Saints Sunday. All Saints day was actually Friday, I think. Anyway, what is a saint? 1saint ˈsānt, before a name (ˌ)sānt or sənt noun

[Middle English, from Anglo-French seint, saint, from Late Latin sanctus, from Latin, sacred, from past participle of sancire to make sacred — more at sacred] 13th century

1    : one officially recognized especially through canonization as preeminent for holiness

2    a : one of the spirits of the departed in heaven

b : angel 1a

3    a : one of God’s chosen and usually. Christian people

b capitalized : a member of any of various Christian bodies specifically : latter-day saint

4    : one eminent for piety or virtue

5    : an illustrious predecessor — saint•dom ˈsānt-dəm noun — saint•like ˈsānt-ˌlīk adjective[1]

So, where do I get off identifying us as saints? I get that from the authority of Scripture:

Romans 1:7 (NIV84)

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:26–27 (NIV84)

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Some would have us believe that a saint is a dead person who once lead a life so holy that they deserved the title Saint and that we should pray to them to intercede for us on various matters specific to the particular saint. No, that is not what scripture teaches. This passage above clearly identifies “us” as “saints.”

1 Corinthians 6:1–2 (NIV84)

Lawsuits Among Believers

6    If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?

That one is very clear. We are saints-Holy, sacred. That is the answer to the question. So, simple answer to the question Who are we? We are Holy Ones! I’ll ask the question, you answer. Who are we? ___

But how? I don’t live a perfect life, I sin daily. How is it that I qualify for sainthood for less $9.95 per unit? Glad you asked.

How We Are.

How did we become saints?

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV84)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

I could just list this passage from Ephesians except there is something missing from it. It is technically accurate to say that we are saved by grace. But I like the passage in Romans because it unfolds it a little more.

 

Romans 3:21

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. [2]

 

What I mean is that the grace that saves us didn’t come out of a vacuum, it didn’t come from nothing. God is perfectly just, he must punish sin to remain perfectly just. Our sin was punished when Jesus died on the cross. Jesus was punished in our place for our sins. In verse 9 of Ephesians 2 it reads ‘not by works.’ I think you’ll agree it means not by our works. We were justified by grace through works, but not OUR works, but work of Christ on the cross. That is very important to understand. It is a free gift to us, but it wasn’t free to give, it cost Jesus the agony of the cross.

So, the question of How are we? Is answered, “by the Blood of Christ.” How are we? _____ Who are we? ______

Why are we?

So, what’s the point here? Were we made holy so that we, individuals, could inherit the kingdom of God? Get wings and pluck a harp for the rest of eternity? No.  There is a purpose. I’ll let Ephesians 2:10 handle that:

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV84)

10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What good works are those? Victory in Halo 4? A good grade a term paper or school project? Insurance salesman of the year? Honor roll? The most nutritiously prepared meals for your family? Buying the car that is the envy of all the neighbors? Producing abs of steel? Having the best behaved children? Hitting the most home runs? Throwing the winning strikeout in the World Series? Finding the cure for cancer? Ending starvation?

No. Well maybe. They are certainly worthy of living in the image of God. Those things can be a part of the works we were prepared to do but they are not the end. If someone is cured of cancer but hasn’t received the gift of salvation, it was a waste. For what is eighty years compared to eternity? If someone is well fed but doesn’t have the truth of the gospel they will have experienced a human lifetime’s worth of that type of satisfaction but nothing more after that. If you get all the glory for hitting the home run, yay, you also get the salary and self-esteem building kudos. But what good does it do someone in eternity if your great work doesn’t inspire someone to seek the God who empowered you to do it. What good does it do you when all your possessions are left on this side of the grave and you stand naked at the judgment seat of God?

What’s the good work?

Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV84)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

All those previously mentioned items, the car, the World Series, are worth goals if they are aiding the furtherance of the gospel and done to and for the glory of God. Someone cured of cancer has few more years to hear and be transformed by the gospel before they die.

So, to answer the third question: Why are we? The answer is: to change the world. So, from the beginning. Who are we? _______. How are we? __________ Why are we? ____________

 

Whose We Are.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NIV84)

19 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; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

We are God’s property, specifically, Jesus Christ, his own son. He is the one who paid the price with his body and his blood. That is only joyful noise to you, that you are owned, if you understanding that anybody else owning the rights to you, including yourself, is a bad thing. Let me say that again, it is a bad thing for anyone, including yourself to own the rights to yourself besides God. You can’t trust yourself either. You can’t save yourself.

I knew an addict who was going into 12 step recovery. He had to sign a document that he would stick with the program for at least year. The night he did this he had a nightmare of all these lizard men call sleestacks in the group getting ready to devour him and in the dream he tried to negotiate with them, “can I say bye to my family first, is this going to hurt, etc.” The thing is with 12 step recovery, the first three steps are recognizing you’ve done a bad job at managing your own life so it’s out of control, understanding that there is a God who can get your life back in control and then turning yourself over to the care of that God. This is not easy when you really take it apart and think about what you’re doing. You’re transferring ownership of you to God. Whether in recovery or without, if you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, this is what you’ve done, you’ve transferred ownership of you to Him. You were bought at a price.

So, the answer to the question Whose are we: is we belong to Jesus Christ. So, from the beginning: 1. Who are we? ______ How are we? __________ Why are we? _________ Whose are we? _________

Ok, now we have a context to talk about healthcare in the Bible. The examples of bizarre health practices I pointed out earlier make a little more sense when you view those people as ones who have completely given themselves over to the care of God. Let’s look at Ezekiel. I love Ezekiel because he was God’s first actor. He didn’t merely speak God’s word as preacher, he got to act it out with sets and scenery and the whole bit. This cooking over poop thing was a sign for Israel.

Ezekiel 4:16–17 (NIV84)

16 He then said to me: “Son of man, I will cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair, 17 for food and water will be scarce. They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of their sin.

It gets better. What was he cooking over that methane flame?

Ezekiel 4:9 (NIV84)

9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.

And you can buy it at Huckleberry’s, it’s called Ezekiel bread. Huckleberry’s is a health food store. Apparently, that particular recipe for bread is full of protein, amino acids, fiber, etc. I don’t think the version you buy at the store is cooked in an oven that is fueled by…you know.

God was still bent on sustaining Ezekiel for his time on earth. There may be a few chiropractors out there who would take issue with him lying on his side for 390 days but I’m still thinking it is better to trust God with health.

What does that even mean though? We’ll get to that. What’s important is that you know why you would maintain and preserve your health. You are not your own therefore, you are taking care of someone else’s goods. You are taking care of God’s goods. He’s entrusted you with that. So, in essence, you need to preserve yourself, to the best of your ability and control, until that day when YOU are compelled to lay on your side and cook stinky s’mores.

But maybe that’s not your calling. This summer on our trip to Japan one of our short termers had a severe psychological aversion to new foods. And sure enough we ended up in at an eatery in Japan where her food was looking right back at her. There were little tiny fish sprinkled on her rice, they’re called iwashi, you can see their eyes. We knew about her condition beforehand so preserving her health for her calling to Japan meant buying packs of peanut butter and crackers before we even got on the plane.

But maybe your calling is to be strong enough to see your children or grandchildren grow into faithful followers of Christ and not merely to play with them or see them off to college.

Philippians 3:14 (NIV84)

14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

This is our pursuit, getting and closer to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. What does it mean to pursue that? How does Paul model that?

1 Corinthians 9:22–27 (NIV84)

22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

 

To the weak he became weak. How does that compare with the world’s idea of what is healthy? Amy Carmichael, Irish missionary to India. Originally, she went to Japan and had a nervous breakdown…very difficult mission field apparently. Which is not lost on me. She was much more productive in India. How was she productive in India? through her weakness.

 In 1931 she prayed, “God, please do with me whatever you want. Do anything that will help me to serve you better.”


That same day, she fell, suffering fractures that would cripple her for the rest of her life.  Not one to be discouraged or bitter when faced with pain or persecution, Amy now had the opportunity to demonstrate God's faithfulness before a much larger "host" of witnesses. While her growing children had continual freedom to enter her bedroom and share their hearts with their beloved "mother," she now had the quiet times that allowed her to write books, poems, and letters that were translated and shared around the world.

Because she was bed ridden, she couldn’t run around saving Indian children. She had to write letters and books asking for more financial aid and resources. She saved more children while crippled than she would have while whole.

 

What I’m not saying is, go get sick, make yourself crippled. What I’m saying is turn yourself over to God’s care and say, “here I am in all my imperfection. Use me that I may save some.”

In the meantime, we take care of our bodies, minds, and spirits so that they are available for God’s Work. If Amy Carmichael had turned to opium while in India, would she have persevered through her infirmity to see those children saved, would she have had the emotional and mental fortitude to make such an impact in her mission field? If she had not taken advantage of whatever medical care was available to her, would she have lasted as long as she did?

 There were times when the Apostle Paul reasoned his way out of physical punishment and used that as an opportunity to preach the gospel, there were times when he didn’t and received the punishment of 40 lashes minus one, there were times when he was imprisoned so that he could preach to the jailer.

Can you do that? Can you really turn yourself over to a God who might spend your life for His purposes? Could you still worship such a God? Could you only worship Him if you got to be the athlete hitting the homerun and then give the glory to God at the press conference? I’d rather have that one and struggle with burden of fame and fortune.

 But maybe, you’re like me and you’re in between, watching others suffer and feeling helpless to stop their pain—physical or otherwise.

 Earlier I made a reference to addiction recovery. One of the things that drives an addict is inescapable pain and the fear of it, a pain doesn’t go away, it’s just muted temporarily by the drug of choice. So, how does the saint, the holy one live with the potentiality of inescapable pain or in that pain. Because, aren’t we, after all called to die, daily “If any man comes after me, let him take up his cross and follow.” Jesus said that. What encouragement is there for the saint? What are we living for then if not for relief from the pain?

 

1 Thessalonians 3:6–9 (NIV84)

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?

 Paul’s joy is the same as his master’s “to do the will of the Father.” Paul had the joy of seeing the fruit of that in his earthly ministry. Also he says,

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NIV84)

The Coming of the Lord

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

 This message that I’m bringing here today cannot bring joy unless you can believe that God is a good God and that He will cause rivers of living water flow out of you. If you don’t believe that, this message is bad news, not good news.

 “In this world you will have pleasure and comfort so what do you need my peace for, heaven is what you make it here on earth.”—Bizarro Jesus

If you watched cartoons when you were a kid there were the SuperFriends and the Hall of Justice…you had Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonderwoman, Aquaman but on the other side you had the League of Doom with Lex Luthor and a character named Bizarro who was the opposite of Superman.

 Everything was opposite.

What Jesus actually says is this,

John 16:33 (NIV84)

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 In this particular passage Jesus was speaking about the persecution they would endure for following him, suffering. But Jesus says, “Take heart, I have overcome the world.” What does that mean?

He earlier had said,

John 14:1–4 (NIV84)

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

 Which is what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 3 about our redemption. Why does Jesus need to say “take heart” and “do not fear?” Why are there so many passages in the New Testament about persevering? Why does James talk about considering it a joy when you experience all kinds of trials? Not if you, but when you. It’s going to be hard. The Christian Life, if you’re doing it right, you’re going to have suffering and joy. The suffering is going to be natural suffering just from living in a sinful, disease ridden world, and you’re going to have deserved suffering from your own sin, persecution and trial suffering for your expressed faith. You’re also going to have joy, the joys that come to everybody on earth—relationships, recreation, like that, the joy of making positive choices, the joy of seeing the fruits of your faithful labor for the gospel, and the joy of the hope of heaven. There is no point to the joys that the earth as offer. There is in the joys the Kingdom of God has to offer. Quoting the movie Gladiator, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

 

Left Allemande

So, ready to go on that expedition now that you know what it may entail? Do you trust that your guide (the Holy Spirit) is a good one?

If not, no worries. Really.

Philippians 1:6 (NIV84)

6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 I’ve been walking with the Lord for 19 years and God is patient and kind. There have been times when I wasn’t ready to take the step of faith that I was presented with. God brought that step around later when I was. Looking back, I wished I would’ve trusted sooner on many of those occasions.

 If you’re still with me, it’s time to check the oil and provisions.

How are you maintaining your physical health? If you’re sick, are you seeing a doctor, taking your meds? Making informed choices about your health coverage? Is it important to you?

If you’re able, what are you doing to preserve your physical health those whose care is under you? Are you exercising regularly, eating healthily and not abusing yourself with gluttony?

And again this isn’t about what you do, so much as why. This isn’t about Body Mass Index or six packs (read that how you will.) Remember who we are, how we are, why we are, and whose we are.

 How is your remotional health? That was typo at first. I wanted to say relational and I wanted to say emotional. Reeses Peanut butter cup word—remotional. I think the two are inextricably linked. You can’t have emotional health without relationships. I’m not a psychologist. I just know that God says in His Word in Genesis, “it’s not good for man to be alone.” He didn’t say it wasn’t good for man to not be married or that it wasn’t good for a woman not to have a husband. He said it was not good to be alone. If you feel healthier when you aren’t in relationship with others (I’m not talking about romantic relationships) it’s because you were wounded in relationship with others. Guess where the healing is going to take place? In relationship with others. So, how are with your remotional health? “But you don’t understand, Eric.” No, I don’t know how that person hurt you. But Jesus does and he’ll walk you through it. And if we can help here, we’ll help.

 How is your intellectual health? What are you reading, watching, listening to and why? How is it helping your mind grow? How is it helping your mind relax? How are you growing in the knowledge of your master?

And here’s a clue. It doesn’t mean that you’re only watching Bible movies or studying the Bible all the time or reading missionary biographies like I do. No, if you’re in the Bible daily and applying it to your life, you’re opening the door for God to speak to you in everything you do whether sacred or profane.

 Take Away

Your homework. God is good. A good prayer is, God, please teach me how I can be healthier physically, emotionally, and intellectually. I think a better one is this: God, you have made me and saved me, please teach me to live healthier physically, emotionally, and intellectually so that I serve you better.

 I think God will answer those prayers. Don’t be surprised at the answer He gives. Guys, you might not be led to the gym, but to taking ballroom dancing lessons with your wife. You may not be led to go out and start a new friendship, maybe you’ll start off volunteering at an animal shelter petting abused cats. Maybe instead of signing on with Group Health, you find an approved Christian Cooperative. If you’re sick, maybe instead of asking other Christians for help, you ask your unbelieving neighbor. Or maybe God will heal you. That could happen, too and it’s worth praying for.

I’d be interested in hearing in what God teaches you on this. I’ll leave you with this. A lot of diet programs and exercise regimens are based on an idea of you being in control. Take control of your life! I’d say give control of your life over to God. I’m very skeptical that anyone in this room, me included, is very good at being in control of their life.

 [1] Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary., Eleventh ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).

[2] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984). Ro 3:21–26.