Many Christians never fulfill the plan of God for their lives because of their lives being cut short. However, there are certain steps we can take to extend our lives and fulfill the dream that God has put into our heart. You’ve heard the phrase, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. That certainly applies to our physical temples and we must be diligent to take care of them! Ecclesiastes 7:17 states, “Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?” According to this verse, being foolish can cause you to die before your time. Benjamin Franklin stated that, “He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.” Here are some basic keys for taking care of your body, God’s temple.
1) Rest – Gen. 2.2 states the following, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” Even God, an eternal Spirit, took time off to rest for an entire day during the week. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 6:31, “And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”
Nothing substitutes for rest. If God the Father rested and Jesus told his disciples to rest, then we need to discipline ourselves and give our bodies, minds and spirits rest on a regular basis.
Many Christians suffer from what we call “burnout”. I believe this can be prevented if we discipline ourselves to rest when we need it. In the aforementioned scripture in Mark chapter 6, Jesus recognized that rest was necessary for His disciples. As someone once said, “Come apart before you come apart.”
If your body is telling you to rest, then heed the warning. You only have one body, so listen to it.
2) Eat right – The old adage, “You are what you eat” could never be truer than in this day and age. With the abundance of fast food, we have chosen convenience over nutrition and our bodies have paid the price. You don’t necessarily need to be a “health nut”, but you do need to put the right kind of food (i.e., fuel) into your body.
I’m reminded of a minister whom the Lord spoke to regarding this. The Lord basically told him that he was being a hypocrite. He said that he would fire anyone who put the wrong brand of oil in one of his ministry vehicles, but he himself was putting junk into his body, and that was hypocritical.
Don’t forget the GIGO principle, which means “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. If you put mostly garbage into your body, then that’s what you’ll feel like. One doctor stated that the majority of the foods we put into our body should be living foods (i.e., vegetables, fruits, etc.) instead of dead foods (e.g., pastries, pies, refined/white bread, etc.).
I believe that if we put as many fresh, living foods (raw or steamed, if possible) into our body, then we will feel much better. As someone once remarked, “No food tastes as good as good health”. No matter how good the junk food may taste, it will eventually affect your health, and the price of how you feel will not be worth it.
3) Exercise – Whether it’s walking, running, bike riding, lifting weights or something else, we all need exercise on a regular basis. Consistency here is the key.
Find something that you enjoy and it will be easier for you to be consistent. You don’t have to train with the intensity of an Olympic athlete, but you do need to exert some effort.
Experts say that we need at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week or more. If you haven’t exercised in a while, you may need to decrease the frequency and duration.
During Bible times, people did a lot of walking, so exercise wasn’t much of an issue. Today, however, we must make time for exercise, especially if we have sedentary jobs.
4) Get enough Sleep – Before Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, people got an average of 9-10 hours of sleep per night. However, today the majority of people in the U.S. get less than 7 hours of sleep per night. This results in a sleep deficit that cannot merely be overcome by just sleeping in later on your days off.
Lack of sleep can cause stress and anxiety, as well as anger, irritability, depression and cardiovascular problems. It also can be responsible for short-term memory loss and suppression of the immune system. In addition to this it can alter hormones and metabolism. About eight hours of sleep is crucial to help the body and brain reset.
Tiredness is the main cause of 18% of workplace accidents and 25% of all traffic accidents. According to the National Sleep Foundation, tiredness in the workplace is causing the U.S. $80 billion annually.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill is an example of an accident partially caused by worker tiredness. According to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, part of the reason for this accident was believed to be due to the failure of the third mate to properly maneuver the vessel, possibly due to fatigue and excessive workload.
Many people that are battling an illness today are doing so because of continually pushing themselves and not getting sufficient sleep. Sometimes we just need to say “No” if it doesn’t fit within our schedule.
By the way, experts say to get in bed as many hours before midnight as possible. Studies have indicated that the number of hours you sleep before midnight is twice as important as the number of hours you sleep after midnight.
5) Make time for recreation – We need to have fun. Yes, I said fun. Too many people today have no form of recreation aside from eating out. That really is not recreation and certainly won’t help you live a long and healthy life. It’s not a sin to “let your hair down” and do things that you enjoy and relieve stress.
For me, fishing is one of my “stress relievers”. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and is a prime source of recreation for me. For some, it may be working out or playing some type of sport. Whatever it is, make sure that you do it consistently, especially when you are under stress. You will be amazed at how it will improve your outlook on life.
6) Be led by the Spirit – Jesus was led by the Spirit when ministering to others, not led by the needs themselves. If we are always led by human needs, then we will never get any rest. We should lead a spirit-led life, not a driven life. Unfortunately, many Christians live driven lives and their health is suffering because of it.
Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” “Sons” indicates a level of maturity, since it doesn’t mention children of God. It takes a level of maturity and humility for a Christian to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. God is not a Taskmaster Who will make you work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He is actually the best Employer around. His plan for you includes rest and relaxation.
Matthew 11:28-30 states, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
The Lord’s yoke is easy and His burden is light. If we burn out in the ministry, then it’s not God’s fault. We’re simply being disobedient to His leading when He directs us to rest.
7) Cast Your Cares upon the Lord – I Peter 5:6-7 states, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” It takes humility to cast our cares upon the Lord. Pride makes us think that we can handle it all, but humility looks to the Lord and causes us to cast all of our cares upon him.
Ps. 55:22 states, “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
In closing, let me state that it takes discipline to put these principles into practice (including discipline to rest and have times of recreation). However, the price will be well worth it as it produces a healthy body to run our race. We can then say with the apostle Paul in II Tim. 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.
