Proverbs 3:7-8 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Daniel 1:14-15 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.
The health care industry is a huge business. Whether it be gyms and places of exercise, to alternative health medicine and vitamins, or a myriad of diets, a lot of people are looking to be healthy. Wherever you shop you see the buzzwords, low carb, sugar free, organic or free range. People naturally want to be healthy.
But what about our spiritual health? What if the millions of people in our country that are interested in staying as healthy as they can by changing their diets, or making time to add exercise, were as interested in being spiritually fit as they are in being physically fit? What would that do to our Christianity, our country, and our churches?
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy. There is nothing wrong with taking measures to be healthy. I'm sure all of us can look at our lives and see areas where we need to improve, whether it's in the amount of exercise we get or in the foods that we eat. But far more important than that is our spiritual health.
The two types of health concerns, spiritual and physical, might be more linked then you realize. Our verses in Proverbs tell us that we need to fear the Lord, and because of that depart from those things that are evil. But verse eight gives us a positive byproduct of that. We will be healthier in the long run.
Think of Daniel and his companions. They would not defile themselves by eating and drinking that which the law forbids. They made an agreement with their leader to be tested for ten days and eat their own diet. After the days were passed and they were examined, they were found to be healthier than the men who ate the diet given to them by the king. A diet expressly given to them for their health and wellbeing, yet Daniel and his companions were better off.
What is the point I am making? Namely that living a godly, separated, and spiritual life has benefits that go far beyond just the spiritual aspect of our lives. That is not to say that we will never get sick or things will never go bad for us. Sometimes there is just nothing you can do about your DNA or the circumstances of life. The point is, life is just better when we live it God's way.
Most of the problems that we have in our life are brought on by the way that we live. That can be true even in a health setting. Just as the way we eat or a lack of exercise can affect the way we feel, so can the way we live drastically affect the way we feel physically and mentally. One of the benefits of living for God is that we will avoid a lot of things that would negatively affect our life, not just from a spiritual aspect, but from a physical and mental aspect as well.
Living right is not only the right thing to do, it is also good for you. It is not only good spiritually but also physically, mentally and emotionally as well. Godly living does not have only ramifications in eternity, it also has positive benefits for our time on this earth.
