Our Bible verse for today: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “We need to keep all parts of us healthy”
In her book “Captivating” Staci Eldredge writes of a time in her life when she was suffering from a deep depression. Her doctor felt that treating her with anti-depressants would resolve the issue. Some well-meaning friends were sure it was purely a spiritual issue that could be handled with prayer. Others advised extra sleep, more exercise, a better diet.
It turns out that they were all correct.
Since all the parts of us are connected and since they all interact with each other, the health of each part affects all the others. If your body is unhealthy it will affect you not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Likewise if you are spiritually unhealthy, it will affect you in every other area of your life too. This is why it’s important for us to do our best to be balanced and healthy in every area of life. Yes we need to be practicing good spiritual disciplines every day. But we also need to be eating right and getting some exercise every day too. We also need to get enough sleep, manage our stress, and fill our minds with lots of good influences. In short, we have to take care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
In Staci’s case she had a chemical imbalance for which God provided some medicines. She also had friends join with her in prayer as they resisted Satan’s exploitation of the situation. Additionally she made it a point to take extra good care of herself physically. Soon she was back on the road to good health – in all areas of her life.
As human beings we are made up of body, soul, and spirit and therefore it’s important to do the things necessary to keep all the parts of us healthy. Sometimes that will include trips to the doctor and maybe some medication. It will always include prayer and Bible study, meditation, and worship, and we need to be eating well and exercising as well. I encourage you to consider how healthy you are in every area of your life and then make some adjustments as needed.
God Bless,
Oak Hill Baptist Church 