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Monday, November 08, 2010
Take Care of Your Body by Rick Warren
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. Romans 12:1 (NIV)
"Keeping your body in shape is a spiritual discipline. It’s not just about losing a few pounds, wanting to live longer, or trying to look nicer."
Did you know that twenty percent of the population in every state in America is obese? And 50 million people worldwide will die this year from chronic diseases due to being overweight.
Your physical health is an important part of making your life count. I want to look at the right motivation for getting healthy – what God’s says about the importance of your body in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NIV).
God expects me to manage my body. “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. …I will not be mastered by anything …” (verse 12). Your body is a gift from God. He loans it to you and it’s your responsibility to manage it well. What are you doing with what He’s given you?
My body is God’s property. “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord …” (verse 13). Our culture teaches us that we can do whatever we want with our bodies. But God created our bodies, so we don’t have a right to share them with anybody we want.
My body will be resurrected after I die. “ … God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (verse 14). God never wastes anything. One day he’s going to resurrect a new version of your body.
My body is connected to the body of Christ. “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” (verse 15). God considers sins against the body to be in a special class because your body is connected to the body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit lives in my body. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit … ?” (verse 19). Your body is God’s temple. If you were walking down the street and saw some gang vandalizing a church, you’d do something about it, right? When you don’t take care of your body, you are vandalizing God’s temple.
Jesus bought my body on the cross. “You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (verse 20). If you want to know how much you’re worth, look at the cross. Jesus with his hands outstretched says, “This is how much you’re worth to me. You’re worth dying for.” You are infinitely valuable.
Keeping your body in shape is a spiritual discipline. It’s not just about losing a few pounds, wanting to live longer, or trying to look nicer. God created your body, Jesus died for it, the Holy Spirit lives in it, your body is connected to Christ, and it’s going to be resurrected one day. When it is, God’s going to hold you accountable for how you managed what he gave you.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
God's Prescription for Good Health by Rick Warren
“Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” Proverbs 3:1-2 (NIV)
God says, "If you do what I tell you to do with your health, you will enjoy a long life."
If I had a pill that could promise to add years to your life, you’d probably pay a lot of money for it. But what if I told you, as a Christian, you already have the key to a long life and it’s free?
God has given all of the principles for health management in his Word, the Bible. The Bible is the owner’s manual for your body. As David says, “You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws” (Psalm 119:73 LB). And in Deuteronomy, it says, “These instructions are not mere words – they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land …” (Deuteronomy 32:47 NLT). God says, “If you do what I tell you to do with your health, you will enjoy a long life.”
Our key verse today says, “Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life …” (Proverbs 3:1 NIV). What are some of those commands? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing …” (Proverbs 3:5-10 NIV).
These verses highlight some factors that you probably don’t think about, but they will keep you healthy: tranquility, trust in God, integrity, humility, and generosity. These things will cause your health to be better because your physical health is influenced by your spiritual health.
Over the next few days we’ll look at four specific things the Bible says you should do for good health. For today, take some time to meditate on Proverbs 3:1-10 and ask God to show you ways you can grow in tranquility, trust, integrity, humility and generosity.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
God's Prescription for Good Health: Trust by Rick Warren
I said to myself, "Relax, because the Lord takes care of you." Psalm 116:7 (NCV)
"If you really trust in God, you're going to be less stressed. "
God has given you the gift of your body and it comes with an owner's manual - the Bible. In it are all the instructions you need to take care of yourself and live a long life.
You already know the basics - proper nutrition, exercise, a good night's rest. Today I want to look at the first of four health factors you may not have thought of for living long and well.
Trusting God is good for your health. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). Why is trusting in God good for your health? When you trust Him then you don't worry.
Psalm 116:7 says, "I said to myself, 'Relax, the Lord is going to take care of you'" (NCV). If you really trust in God, you're going to be less stressed.
You have a choice -
* You can either worry or worship. * You can either pray or panic.
The more you pray, the less you'll panic. Relax, because God will take care of you!
The Bible says in Proverbs 14:30, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones" (NIV). It's not just what you eat that matters, it's what eats you. You can have all the right macrobiotics and organic food, but if your body is filled with resentment, worry, fear, lust, guilt, anger, bitterness, or any other emotional disease, it's going to shorten your life.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
God's Prescription for Good Health: Confession by Rick Warren
When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Psalm 32:3 (NLT)
""When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long ...." (Psalm 32:3 NLT) "
Yesterday we looked at the importance of trusting God and letting go of resentment, worry, and fear to maintain good health. This leads right into the second biblical factor for good health.
Confessing my sin is good for my health. Any psychologist will tell you this - it's good to clear your conscience and get things off your chest. Your body is not made to hold it in. When you hold guilt inside you, it's like shaking up a soda can with the top on. It will blow eventually.
David says it this way in Psalm 32:3-5, "When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. ...My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. ... And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone" (NLT).
David internalized his guilt and it physically affected his body. If you don't talk out your problems, your guilt, your bitterness with God, you're going to take it out on your body.
It reminds me of an old episode of the television show, "Columbo", when the comedian Johnny Carson played the bad guy. When he finally got caught, he said, "You know, I'm really glad I got caught because the guilt was killing me."
Doctors say a lot of people could leave the hospital today if they knew how to get rid of guilt or resentment over things they've done to others and things others have done to them.
Spend a few moments in prayer today asking God to forgive you for the things you've done to others. Then pray about any resentment and bitterness you are holding against people who have hurt you. Ask God to help you forgive those people so you can move on to better health.
Friday, November 12, 2010
God's Prescription for Good Health: Generosity and Fun by Rick Warren
"These instructions are not mere words - they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life ..." Deuteronomy 32:47 (NLT)
"He who laughs, lasts."
Many people think the Bible is only filled with commands labeled "Thou shalt not..." They assume the Bible is all about restrictions and making you lead a boring life.
But God wants you to live a joy-filled, healthy life. The last two factors for good health that I want to share with you should put a smile on your face.
Giving generously is good for my health. Every time I'm generous, every time I'm giving, it improves my health. You know there are more promises in the Bible about giving than anything else because God wants you to be like him. God is a giver.
Everything you have is a gift from God. He's generous and he wants you to be generous too. The Bible says, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:25 NIV). Doesn't that verse just make you smile? There's a reason why it always feels good to help others, whether you're giving financially, giving materially, or giving of your time.
Having fun is good for your health. God tells us in his Word that life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured. "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17:22 NIV). I like to put it this way, "He who laughs, lasts." Learn to laugh at yourself, put some play in every day, relax, chill out, have some fun.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Commit to Regular Exercise by Rick Warren
Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)
"We've been out of shape for several years, but then we try to get in shape in one week!"
One of the ways we train for godliness is by maintaining our physical health. The truth is, your body was not designed for inactivity. God created you to be active. Even a daily walk will make a difference in your physical well-being and your spiritual well-being.
One thing I have noticed is that most of us are convinced but not committed. We know that exercise is good for us. We are convinced of that, but that doesn’t mean we are committed to exercise.
What is the common excuse? ‘I don't have the time.’
Let me ask, do you have time to be sick? If you don't make time for exercise, you'll probably be forced to make time for an illness. Is that how you want to spend your time?
What is the common mistake? We overdo it at the start. We’ve been looking at how physical health will help us reach our destiny during the next decade. Some of you might have already said, “I'm going to get in shape if it kills me!"
We have the philosophy that if something is good, then more is better. We’ve been out of shape for several years, but then we try to get in shape in one week! And so we work ourselves to death, get totally exhausted and, as a result, we wear out quickly and give up.
The key is training not straining. If you want to get in shape fast, exercise longer, not harder. And that will help you stay committed to a consistent, regular exercise program.