The Value of Health
The year was 1994: I was 37 years old, and 23 pounds overweight. The doctor’s findings validated years of self-negligence—my blood works were a horror story, my cholesterol bad, and my sugar off the charts. I had seriously bad eating habits then and high stress levels. On top of all that, I was suffering from sleep apnea and periodic dizziness. Life wasn’t good.
My Christian doctor lovingly told me that if I did not change my lifestyle, my health would spiral out of control. His main advice was to do something about it now before it was too late. The value of health is not hard to see, but more than just making the case for good health, the goal of this article is to see what the Bible teaches about it.
Health Defined
Health is more than just not being ill. Even the secular world knows that: the World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
The literal meaning of the word health is to be “made whole.” In other words, when we are unhealthy, then there is something in our make up that is “not whole”. There’s something lacking—and I’m not just talking about the body.
The Bible tells us that, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” (3 John 1: 2) Part of our over-all make up is the reality that our good health is intertwined with the conditions of our spirit and soul. So here are three quick thoughts on health that will hopefully help you increase your life’s value:
1. Don’t skip on the medicine.
Proverbs 17: 22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Very few people realize that joy is another form of medicine, and the lack of it can reflect badly on our health.
Further, the Bible tells us in Nehemiah 8: 10b: “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Grief is the loss of joy and, as previously mentioned, results in diminishing health. For this, we need to guard our hearts from grief and insist on living a life of joy.
How? The best source of joy comes from remaining to walk in God’s path and being in His presence. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16: 11)
God grants not only joy…but the fullness of it.
2. Invest in your health.
As disciples of Christ, it is easy to declare that “By God’s grace, I will enjoy good health!” There’s nothing wrong with having faith like that, but you also have to do your part in maintaining proper health.
In this case, we look to the truth about grace. God’s grace affords us the freedom to eat from any tree in the garden (Genesis 2: 16), and to live a lifestyle that is free from condemnation and the rigors of legalistic dietary rules. However, the Bible also cautions us that “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” (1 Corinthians 10: 23)
We need to be discerning about what we eat, the way we live, where we go, and what we expose ourselves to—this applies even to the amount of stress we allow ourselves to endure. In short, having good health is intricately connected to our daily lifestyle choices.
3. Love your body.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19
It all boils down to Lordship. The fact remains that what we do with our bodies is a serious matter to God. Let me ask you this: Are the things you do to and with your body honoring the One who made and bought you?
The attitude of our hearts matters to God. He cares, and He has a say. Therefore, to see Him as Lord means to choose to walk in His path and presence, which in turn results to experiencing greater levels of joy. This is equally true with regard to the lifestyle choices we make.
When we make Jesus the Lord over our bodies, we will see an exponential increase in our health.
Until next time.