Our theme for this month: “Personal Responsibility”
Our Bible verse for today: “Here I am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” Joshua 14:11
Our thought for today: “You are responsible for taking care of yourself.”
I know a lady who is ninety-nine years old. She is spry and active and full of life. She is healthy, she comes to church every Sunday, her mind is sharp, and she just stopped driving a car two years ago.
The other day I ran into an old friend who is eighty-nine. He too is energetic and active and in good health. He’s getting ready to go on a tour of the Holy Land and is looking forward to walking the streets of Jerusalem.
Last year I made a trip to California to visit the man who had been my pastor and mentor for many years. He is eighty-seven now but looks sixty-seven. He is fit and trim and he just went on a trip to Japan to visit his granddaughter who is stationed there in the military.
I’ve recently made friends with a man who has just moved to our town and is now attending our church. He is eight-four and he rides his Harley even more than I ride mine.
What do all those people have in common? They took care of themselves! They have made it a point to protect their health by eating right and getting some exercise every day. Oh, each of them have had some health issues over the years. Two of them have had to fight cancer. One fell and broke her hip and had a stint in rehab. Disease, sickness, and accidents are just part of life and affect us all at some point. But the healthier you are the better you will handle the sickness and disease when it comes.
Taking proper care of yourself isn’t that hard. Just eat moderate amounts of reasonably healthy food and get some exercise every day. Throw in adequate sleep and plenty of relaxation time, and you will have the physical side of it covered. Then make sure you have a healthy spiritual life as well, and you will be well on your way to being healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
Nobody can avoid all disease and sickness. And, someday we will all die anyway. But there is a lot you can do to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible – and you should! Your physical body is a gift from God. The healthier you are the more He can use you to accomplish His purposes.
Taking proper care of yourself is your responsibility. Borrowing a quote from that wise old Vulcan from Star Trek (Mr. Spock), “May you live long and prosper.”
Oak Hill Baptist Church