April 2007 | Posted in • Life | (0) Comments |
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God?s.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
As believers, we regularly tend to our spiritual health - daily devotions, study and prayer, weekly church services, and prayer meetings. But, do we do as much to tend to our physical health? Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do we tend to the temple as we should?
Here is an analogy and parallel that I hope encourages you.
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38
Many of you have probably heard a message where the Sea of Galilee was used as an analogy for a healthy spiritual life. The sea’s waters are alive, vibrant and teaming with life, for the waters are stirred. Fresh water flows continuously into the sea from streams and rivers. And water also flows out of the Sea of Galilee, forming the Jordan River. In contrast, the Dead Sea is used as an example of stagnation. The Dead Sea’s waters support nothing more than microscopic organisms - bacteria, viruses, and the like. The Jordan River and other rivers and streams flow into the Dead Sea, but no water flows out.
Our goal as a believer is to maintain a spiritual life that is healthy, alive and vibrant. We do this through an inflow of teaching, meditation, study, AND an outflow of prayer, service and good works. If one part is missing, there is no flow. No flow = stagnation.
It is commonly understood that overall our bodies are composed of 70% water. However, did you know our muscles are about 75% water? Our brain cells are about 85% water. And our blood is approximately 82% water. To maintain a healthy body, we must daily take in pure, fresh water.
To remain healthy and vibrant, we must keep these waters within us stirred through aerobic activity. This causes the systems of our bodies to function as they were created, transporting oxygen and nutrients throughout, keeping our mental faculties sharp, and capturing, neutralizing, and purging wastes and toxins.
There is a system within our body that does not seem to get much attention until something goes wrong, the lymphatic system. This system is our body’s cellular garbage collector. It captures toxins, waste, bacteria, and viruses and transports them to lymph nodes where they are killed or neutralized by white blood cells. Lymphatic fluid is so important that your body contains about three times more lymph than blood. The lymphatic system runs parallel to your circulatory system. However, unlike our circulatory systems through which blood flows by the beating of our hearts, the lymphatic system circulates by muscle contractions. No movement leads to no flow. No flow = stagnation.
Like water, when our bodies are stagnant, they become a breeding ground for disease. It’s time to stir the waters and begin exercising. Exercise refreshes our body, renews our energy, and gives us strength. Take care of your temple of the Holy Spirit. Feed it living, healthy food.
Drink pure, fresh water. AND exercise - STIR THE WATERS - by walking, gardening, cycling, hiking, etc!
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1 Don Colbert, MD, The Seven Pillars of Health (Siloam, 2007), 116-126
A sampling of other biblical heath resources to be found in the Victory Shoppe:
- What the Bible Says About Healthy Living, Rex Russell, MD
- Get Healthy Through Detox and Fasting, Don Colbert, MD
- The Genesis Diet, Gordon S. Tessler, PhD
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