What should motivate Christians to be healthy? Why does God desire that we be healthy?
Here are two excerpts from the book Faith and Health, written by Charles Reynolds Brown (past Dean of the Yale Divinity School) and published in 1910.
“The Lord of Love is seeking to banish fear, to bestow confidence, to increase faith, to promote healing. He too is desirous that you should gain peace, develop strength, obtain happiness and enter into his rest which remains for the people of God. While you are working out your own salvation by systematic, persistent effort, God is working with you and for you to accomplish his good pleasure.”
“The Church of Jesus Christ ought to ‘teach health,’ not as its chief business, but as a leaf on the tree of its main purpose, which, as already indicated, is to produce the good fruit of Christian character and service.”
Why Should Christians Be Healthy? To Bear Fruit in Our Lives
God wants us to be healthy so that we can experience the good “fruit” he has in store for us. The more fruit we have in our life the more glory God receives.
What kind of fruit does God desire us to experience and have a part in?
- Winning souls to Christ. Romans 1:13
- Sharing what we have with those in need. Romans 15:25-28
- Developing Christ-like character – the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23
- Praising God and giving thanks. Hebrews 13:15
John says that there is no greater joy for those win souls. 3 John 3-4 The believer also has great happiness when they share their possessions with others – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 In this verse, the word blessed can be translated “oh how very happy,” so there is a greater happiness in giving than receiving. When we give we can also experience great peace. Philippians 4:6-7 says that we can have the kind of peace which surpasses all understanding. These three emotions of joy, happiness and peace are a few key ingredients which foster good health.
But good health should not be desired as an end in and of itself. God desires us to have good health, and the emotional and physical energy typically associated with it, because this better enables us to have more fruit in our lives and to better use the gifts and talents that he has given to us to serve others and to serve him. When these things happen we are in God’s will.
When we’re in God’s will, he is glorified. This is why God desires a Christian to be healthy.
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2
Questions to Reflect On:
What is your motivation to be healthy and well?
Is it your experience that the healthier you are the better enabled you are to serve God and others with the gifts he’s given you?
Related Resources:
Faith and Health, the book by Charles Brown, is available as a free Pdf file online.
Article – God Wants You Whole
Read other Health Devotionals
Read how my wellness coaching services can help you become healthier.
As Christians our health matters to God, if we are healthy it gives glory to God. Its time for Christians to
think and take action into keeping fit and be healthy.
His divine power has given us everything for life and Godliness.
We are going to give account of our health to God at the end of life.
Physical fitness and wellness are largely ignored by the Church. At best it often is an afterthought and a focus on health doesn’t come in to it until a person falls ill, desires healing and asks for prayer. I sometimes think, why should God heal a believer when he/she has ignored a healthy diet and neglected to keep a level of physical fitness throughout his/her Christian walk? Some of the worst and most unhealthy processed food I have seen presented over the years, has been in churches during events such as conferences, special meetings etc. The Bible teaches clearly that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”(1 Cor: 6:19-20). Although this is usually quoted in connection with sexual purity (and rightly so), it inevitably applies equally to diet/fitness/wellness, because the principle is the same. Yet, we are personally responsible for keeping this temple of the Holy Spirit in a fit and healthy state to the best of our ability (in keeping with what we can realistically afford, where applicable). I have felt that this is an issue to which churches should give appropriate attention.