Healthy Living
Proverbs 3:7-9
The human body is a magnificent creation. Its ability to protect itself from diseases and heal from injury is remarkable. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. The fingerprint of God on people made in His image is unmistakable.
But certainly we are more than simply our physical bodies. For example, some would argue that we are made up of three parts, body, soul, and spirit. This is called the tripartite view. There are many good people that hold that view but in my opinion the definitions of soul and spirit in that view can’t be biblically sustained.
I prefer what is called the bipartite view. This view holds that we are two parts, material and immaterial. Genesis 2:7 identifies that God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The Hebrew word for breath is the same as for spirit. We are body and spirit, material and immaterial. Genesis goes on to say that man (body and spirit) became a living soul.
So then what is the relationship between our material and our immaterial? Actually that relationship is significant. For example, our physical bodies are not to be devalued as if they are temporary housing to be discarded at death. One of the glorious truths we believe is that our physical bodies will be resurrected and perfected when Jesus returns. Not a brand-new body but the one I have today, resurrected, redeemed, and made whole.
One concern today is how people tend to divide up people into compartments. Like pieces of a pie we divide people up into mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual. We hear people say things like, “That’s a mental problem, or that’s an emotional issue, or that’s a spiritual problem, or physical problem.” But that’s not how we’re made. Our view needs to be much more wholistic.
Let’s stick with the pie illustration. A more correct view biblically would be to understand that the spiritual is the pie filling. It’s not one dimension of our lives, it impacts every area. Our spiritual health impacts our emotions, our thinking, our social interactions and even our physical bodies.
Proverbs states, Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Also this, A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion is rottenness to the bones. One more, A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
A tranquil heart is a heart at rest or at peace. Only a healthy relationship with Jesus can produce this peace that passes all understanding. The Hebrew word translated passion means stress or agitation. Literally it means that when our heart is hot, it leads to rottenness of the bones.
A truly joyful heart does not require something to be funny or for everything to be okay. James says to count it all joy when you go through various trials. Paul tells us to rejoice always. Nehemiah tells us that the joy of the Lord is his strength. Joy is good medicine, but it will always be elusive to those who neglect their spiritual life.
This more wholistic view is well documented in science today. For example, we know our emotional heath impacts our physical well-being. Things like stress, anxiety and anger have a profound impact on our bodies. But this is not new. The Proverbs connected these dots between our material self and immaterial self three thousand years ago.
Another way to say this is skillful living is healthy living and skillful living requires we attend to our spiritual lives. How many Christians diligently work out at the gym to exercise their physical bodies but do little to nothing to strengthen their spiritual lives? How many stress overeating this and not eating that but fail to take time to nourish their souls?
It’s very easy to push our spiritual development to the margin to make room for things we think are more important. What we fail to understand when we do this is how much that impacts every other area of our lives. Our spiritual development is not one piece of the pie that can be left in the pie tin without consequence. When we neglect the spiritual, we are consuming pie with no filling. Everything about the pie is impacted, none of the pieces will satisfy.
So how about this. Take an inventory this week. How much focus (time and energy) do you put into what you eat? How passionate are you about your physical food? Now compare that with the focus you put into your spiritual nourishment. Which do you obviously value more?
How much focus do you put on your emotional issues each week? How much time do you spend worrying or anxious and fearful? Compare that to how time you spend tending to your spiritual needs each week. In other words, what do you dwell on?
How many hours a week do you spend physically exercising? Compare that to how much time you spend in Bible reading and prayer. Remember Paul told us, bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for this present life and also for the life to come (I Timothy 4:8).
Skillful living requires we be spiritually healthy. It’s not only good for the soul, but also for the body. You might be surprised at how much better your feel, physically and emotionally, if you make your spiritual health a priority this year. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Remember, a joyful heart is good medicine.