We need a holistic approach to staying healthy

Posted byoakhillcrossvillePosted inUncategorized
Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “We need a holistic approach to staying healthy”
 
This morning, I have chosen to bring our attention back to the verse of Scripture we referred to in the beginning of our study about taking good care of ourselves, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. I do so because it so clearly highlights the truth that we must have a holistic approach to taking care of ourselves.
 
I hesitated to use that term “holistic” because in our day it is closely associated with things from the New Age movement, and therefore Christians tend to shun anything labeled as “holistic.” This is similar to how the Gay and Lesbian community has highjacked the rainbow symbol. It’s unfortunate because just as the rainbow is a symbol of something beautiful from God, the concept of “holism” is critical to our understanding of how to take full and proper care of our whole person.
 
To say that something is holistic is simply to say that the parts of the whole are interconnected and can only be fully understood in reference to the whole. We find holistic understanding being used when medical professionals consider the whole person, rather than just the presenting symptoms of an illness. They realize that what they’re seeing in terms of physical symptoms could very well have emotional and/or spiritual causes. The Greek philosopher Aristotle once observed that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” That is certainly true with respect to the human person.
 
You are a whole person – body, soul, and spirit. You are physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual, and you must take proper care of all three of your parts. Since we have already spent some time thinking about the physical person, in the days to come we will turn our attention to mental/emotional, and spiritual health.
 
To be at our best we must have a holistic approach to health. We must take good care of our whole self.  
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville
 
 
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