Aug
29
2008
Today an article was released by Health Behavior News Service suggesting that happiness and life satisfaction might lead to better health. They refer to a study that was based upon research in Australia conducted in 2001 and 2004. The researchers looked at 10,000 adults who responded to items about health indicators in the presence of long term limited health conditions and physical health. They found that both happiness and life satisfaction might lead to better future health.
So the question is, how do we become happier and more satisfied with our life? The answer can be found in scripture. Psalm 119:2 says “Happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts. Verse 35 reads “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Finally, verse 56 reads “This is my happy way of life: obeying your commandments.”
These are only three versus of this very revealing chapter in the book of Psalm. I would urge you to take time to read the entire chapter of Psalm 119 so you can gain a full appreciation of the value of God’s principles and commandments. He gave us His truths in the Bible so that we could live a more full and happy life. I am convinced that the happier we are with our life and the more satisfied we are with our life that the better our emotional health will be. This improved level of emotional health will then lead to improved physical health.
Warren Wiersbe writes in his book, 5 Secrets of Living, that the secret of enjoying life is fruit bearing. The secret of fruit bearing is abiding in God. The secret of abiding in God is obeying Him. The secret of obeying God is loving Him. The secret of loving is knowing God. The abundant life that Jesus refers to John 10:10 is what happiness and true joy is all about. Scripture tells us that we can receive this happiness and true story through obeying God’s commandments. So, I urge you to spend time in his Word to get to know God and to try your best to live your life in accordance with his commandments. The resulting happiness and subsequent improved health will contribute to living the abundant life that Jesus died for us.
Go have an awesome day!
Aug
28
2008
A few days ago I was listening to Johnny Cash’s song, “I Walk the Line”, while I was running. One of the lines in the song is “Keep a close watch on this heart of mine.” It reminded me of several scriptures:
- Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.”
- Proverbs 14:30 – “A heart at peace gives life to the body but envy rots the bones.”
- Proverbs 15 :13 – “A happy heart makes the face cheerful.”
- Proverbs 17:22 – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
From a spiritual perspective, our heart is the deepest part of our being. It perhaps includes our soul and our spirit. It’s clear by what we read in scripture that God advises, in fact he commands us, to take care of matters of the heart. Certainly Johnny Cash knew that, and God wants us to know that too.
How do we take care of our heart? We guard against things that are not of God. We resist the lies that the evil one speaks into our mind. We spend time reading God’s Word so that His truth can sink deep into our spirit and soul – our heart. As we understand His truth by reading the Word, we do our very best to live our lives in accordance with His guidelines and His truth. We monitor our behaviors, our thoughts and what we say. We take an honest look, on a periodic basis, deep into our heart, to see if there is any aspect of our heart that is not in alignment with God.
Having any bitterness or unforgiveness in our heart certainly is not of God. If somebody has hurt you in the past, if you are upset with God or you haven’t forgiven yourself concerning an issue of your life, your heart is probably not right with either God, yourself or another person. God would want us to take this issue to Him prayerfully so that we don’t carry this burden in our heart. Doing this frees us up on the inside so that more of God’s Spirit can control us.
Yes, our heart is the wellspring of all life. It is at the deepest level of our heart that God lives in us with His Holy Spirit. He does not want to share space with anything that’s not good, pure and holy. Is your heart pure? Is your heart full of peace, joy and love? I hope so, because when that’s the case, God’s spirit certainly can be alive in you to the fullest. Consequently, your life will probably be healthier because of it. You’ll also be a better example for others who observe you as you live this life.
Take good care of your heart….and have an awesome day!!
See more scriptures about the heart
Aug
20
2008
I found this listing of the tremendous value of 12 fruits and vegetables. The author is unknown. Thanks to Cathy Morenzie for posting it on her Active Image site. Enjoy!
Then God said, “Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And so it was. Genesis 1:11
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye…and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Eggplant, Avocados and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? …. It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm cells to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
MyPyramid.gov is one of the better government sites that provides education on the health benefits and nutrients received from eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables.
Eat your fruits and veggies daily! God certainly had a plan and knew what He was doing when He designed them for our health.
View the complete listing at God’s Pharmacy.
Aug
18
2008
As we enter into the last week of the 2008 Olympics I thought I’d make another post about the connection between sports, athletic performance and faith.
Hebrews 12 begins, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and protector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured on the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful man, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
This verse reminds me of my competitive distance running days. As I’ve written before on this blog, I used to be very aware of the importance of being as efficient as possible when I would run races. I can recall how I used to trim off the edges of the numbers that I had to pin on my chest. I trimmed off every bit of white paper that was not necessary so that I would be carrying around as little weight as possible during the race.
During these Olympics, I have often looked for how runners or other competitors might be doing something similar to gain as much of an edge as possible during their competitions. Last night, for example, I observed the Women’s Eight rowing competition and noticed that the coxswain in the stern of the boat was wearing a baseball cap. She was facing the direction that they were headed and it seemed to me that less drag would have occurred if she had not been wearing a baseball cap. Nonetheless, the team was able to capture a gold medal for the first time since 1964.
In Hebrews, the writer is reminding us that a lot of people are observing how we live our life. He encourages us to strip off everything that might hinder our life, especially the sin that so easily entangles us. I can only imagine how many millions of people have observed the competitors during these Olympics. It’s a good reminder of how many people are observing me and how I am living my life. This is a great time for each of us to reflect on how we are living our lives and whether or not we are being models for those who were observing us.
As I was watching the Women’s Eight competition, I noticed that the coxswain was shouting into a microphone. A device known as a cox box amplifies what is spoken into the microphone and helps her fellow rowers hear what the coxswain is saying. One way we can be encouraged to”strip off the extra weight” is to regularly read the Bible and to listen carefully to what we hear God speaking to us. Just as words of encouragement are heard by the coxswain through speakers on the boat, if we read the Bible expecting to hear from God, we’ll often be able to hear Him, even as He speaks to us in a still, small voice.
As we watch these last several days of the Olympics, let us be reminded to strip off every thing that weighs us down. Remember, just as millions of people are watching the Olympics and observing the athletes, many people are watching us.
Aug
16
2008
We’re about half way through the Olympics and I don’t know about you but my competitive juices begin to stir up from my old distance running days. 
I just wish there were more live finals televised of more of the running events.
I’ve come across a few web sites that have listed Olympic athletes who are professing Christians and thought that you’d want to know about them as well. One site is at Christianity Today and another is at Sharing the Victory Magazine.
Aug
14
2008
We all know that exercise is good for the heart. Aerobic exercise, the kind that causes the
heart rate to rise and stay at an elevated level for a period of time, is most beneficial for the cardiovascular system. I’ve been a runner for over 44 years. During that time my heart and my entire cardiovascular system certainly has benefited from all the running. I am confident that all the time I have spent on the road and treadmill has benefited my physical health.
Psalm 119:32 says “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Like the author of this Psalm, I have discovered over the years that as my lifestyle is consistent with God’s commands, I have found more and more freedom deep in my heart. This freedom and joy has given me an even greater desire to follow the principles of God. I want to “run” in the path that He has laid out for me in the Bible.
As much benefit as moderate physical activity like running is for us, the spiritual exercise of obeying God’s commandments has even greater benefits for our hearts. The freedom, joy and inner peace that comes from “running” alongside God is indescribable.
What benefits have you enjoyed from “running” in the path of God’s commands?
Have a terrific day!
