BETTER HEALTH — MADE SIMPLE !

Thirty-four Steps to Happier Living – A Complete Online Health Course!

Published by TRAIL GUIDES - Altamont, TN 37301 USA

Road maps for pilgrims traveling home

LESSONS 27 - 28

LESSON TWENTY-SEVEN - STEWARDS OF THE BODY

1- Have you ever thought of your body as not belonging to you? Maybe this is a new thought to you. None of us own very much in this world, but certainly my body is my own, you say. Let us look at this idea a little closer for a few minutes. It will help us in our attitude regarding the importance of Better Living.

2- We accept God as the Creator of this earth, including all that is in it. Since God created all matter, or "things." this also includes our bodies. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the Breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7. That is right. We do not have a soul, we are a soul! It is the breath of God Himself which gives this thing we know as life to our physical bodies. The breath of God is the difference between a living person and a corpse.

3- We have already learned that man is made up of four dimensions: Physical, mental, social and spiritual. Each is important to God our Creator. So many pagan religions have taught that the body was the only thing of importance in the earth. "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die," has been the prevailing sentiment in ages past. Self-gratification, selfish-lustful desires were the way of life. Human-life was cheap.

4- At this dark point in the history of our earth, Christianity teaches something wonderful. The Christian concept is that the human body is fearfully and wonderfully made, and that it is sacred. Physical habits took on a new importance under the teaching of Paul when he said, "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. So this is the first reason for considering good health as a religious matter.

5- But there is a second reason equally as important. It is simply this: Our character is affected by the state of our health. Paul referred to this when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:1, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." In other words, holiness can be attained best if we refuse to be the slave of unhealthful habits.

6- Medical Science tells us that the condition of our bodies affects our personality, mental outlook, and our spiritual life. If you are eating a diet deficient in vitamin B, you are probably irritable, impatient, and nervous, if you have indigestion or too much acid in your stomach, you may have an acid tongue! At least you do not feel like worshipping God. We have also seen that our thoughts affect our body and our spiritual interest. If we have selfish thoughts, guilt-feelings, fear, anger and mistrust, we have very little desire to improve ourselves or serve God.

7- Since the mind and the soul find expression through the body, both mental and spiritual vigor are in a great degree dependent upon physical strength and activity. What ever pro­motes physical health, also promotes the development of a strong mind and a well-balanced character. Without health, no one can completely fulfill his obligations to himself, to his fellow-beings, or to His Creator. Therefore, we are stewards of our bodies that belong to God. We are responsible to Him for their care.

8- We are also responsible to our families and our children for teaching them how to care for their bodies. How much is a child worth? If your child grows into manhood being carefully taught to obey the laws of good health; if he is taught to resist the social pressure of drinking and smoking, etc., because they conflict with physical law; if he is taught to walk in obedience to mental and spiritual law, he will possess physical strength and mental vigor capable of fulfilling the purpose of God for his existence.

9- Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17. They are under our stewardship. There is a very important and special reason for Better Living, when we realize this. The results of faithful stewardship are a clear mind, health, and vitality for the laws of health were made by the One who created us and has only our happiness in mind. What a wonderful Owner we have! And "He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth of every mine!"

10- He owns the rivers and the rocks and hills, the sun and stars that shine . . " Actually, this world is "twice His!" He made it, and sustains it, and then Christ redeemed it from Satan by His death on Calvary. We have a great responsibility as His stewards. How can we be faithful stewards in material things as well as physical things? There is as great a blessing for us in this as in being faithful stewards of our bodies!

11- To remind men of his ownership God reserved a tree in the garden of Eden for Himself and said to Adam and Eve, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Genesis 3:3. As long as Adam and Eve did not eat of this tree they acknowledged God as the Owner of everything. There would be no Atheist today, if every one regarded God as the only Owner of everything. All would be true worshippers of the Living God, who is the Creator of all.

12- Sad to say the first parents did not pass the test. And hence, the world has deteriorated so much and there is corruption, sickness and death everywhere. This all started because man did not acknowledge God as the owner.

13- The same danger is facing us if we do not acknowledge His ownership. For us and for our age God has a similar plan so that we can still regard Him as the Creator of everything. He has reserved something to be for us a constant reminder of His ownership.

14- We read in the Bible: "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy unto the Lord." "And concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. Leviticus 27:30, 32.

15- Some things can be counted, other things can be weighed, while others can be measured. In any way we do it, the first one is the Lord's. Some have a habit of counting God, one, two, three etc. We should return the first one to God. There is a great blessing in doing so.

16- We do not return tithes to God because He needs them. We return tithes to him to show that He is the giver of everything, and we are only His stewards. He says, "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof." Psalm 50:12.

17- We do not give tithe. We, in fact, cannot give tithe because it is already His. We only return His tithe and the blessings we get by doing so are manifold. The Bible says, "if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi 3:10-11.

18- On the other hand if we do not acknowledge God and His ownership, and do not return His tithes, we are guilty of robbery. He says, "Ye have robbed me. . in tithes and offerings." Malachi 3:8. As in returning His tithe, there is blessing; in withholding it, there is curse. The Bible says, "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." Malachi 3:9.

19- Jesus who is our example paid tithe and also encouraged tithe paying while on this earth, because He always acknowledged His father as the Owner. He said, "for ye pay tithe of mint and anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone." Matthew 23:23.

20- God has His plan for the use of tithe. He has set aside this portion for His work only. There are people by thousands who do not recognize Him as the Creator and Owner of everything and they need to know about Him before it is too late. Tithe will do this work. Again, we read in I Corinthians 9:13, "they which minister about holy things, live of the things of the temple."

21- God feels sorry when we do not accept Him as Owner of all the creation. He says, "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me: 'The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." Israel 12, 3. You can imagine the sadness of a father, when his son does not recognize him as his father. How long do you think he can bear with him. Finally, a day will come when his father will disown him and he will forfeit all the heritage.

22- In a similar way, God also feels sad towards a person who does not recognize Him. Returning His tithes or withholding them is just giving Him recognition of what He is or not recognizing Him at all. The one guilty of this cannot expect to be blessed by Him.

23- If we could be faithful stewards of ourselves and of all that God has given to us, He has promised a wonderful privilege in the earth made new and it will be our joy to spend the ceaseless ages of eternity with Jesus our Saviour.

Here is additional information on tithes and offerings:

"Bring an offering and come into His courts."-Psalm 96:8.

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."-2 Corinthians 9:7.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35.

"For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted ac­cording to that a man, hath, and not according to that he hath not"-2 Corinthians 8:12.

"Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase."-Proverbs 3.9.

"Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."-Num­bers 18:21.

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."-Psalm 24:1.

"But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth."-Deuteronomy 8:18.

"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:. . and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee."-Genesis 28:20-22.

Here is additional information on walking in the light as it is revealed to us:

"Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth."-John 12:35.

"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.'-1 John 1:7.

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him."-Colossians 2:6.

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."-Psalm 119:105.

"The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth under­standing unto the simple." Psalm 119:130.

LESSON TWENTY-EIGHT - PROTEIN FOODS

1- May I invite you to the lovely Garden of Eden right after the wonderful act of creation was completed? There we see our first parents, Adam and Eve. What a handsome couple they are—made in the image of God! Listen! God is giving them their first instructions. "Be fruitful and multiply," He is telling them, "and replenish the earth, and subdue it." They are to be father and mother of the human race! How exciting!

2- And now what else is God saying? "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit." Genesis 1: 29. A nutrition lesson! Right at the very beginning of our world on the very first day when our parents were created!

3- Since God had formed man, He knew just what his needs were and what he must eat in order to live in perfect health. How God must have enjoyed planning all those luscious fruits, those delicious grains, those wonderful nuts. There were so many varieties and so many flavors and they were all so good.

4- In the definite instructions God gave, you notice that all the foods He intended for man to eat are of plant origin. They were not to eat cows, sheep, goats, birds, fishes etc. The original diet was so perfect that even after sin came in, we find that people lived for hundreds of years. One man lived to be 969 years of age!

5- But, you remember, wickedness increased until God had to cause a great flood to destroy the world, leaving only the family of Noah. After the flood, there was a shortage of plant foods for some time, and we are told that God finally permitted man to eat flesh foods. From then on, flesh foods became a regular part of the human diet, and as a result, two major changes have taken place in man.

6- First of all, his life span became much, much shorter than before the flood. Abraham lived only up to about 170 years. King David and most of the other kings lived only from 60-80 years. And at present the trend is the same. Secondly, the size of man went down from 10-12 feet to 5-6 feet in height. Quite a difference, you will agree.

7- We are told that the native diet of the Eskimos consists of about 90% flesh foods. Due to the cold climate throughout most of the year, there is very little vegetation for food. In a study conducted by Dr. John R. Heller, director of the National Cancer Institute, some interesting facts were discovered about these people. Most of the Eskimos are healthy until they are about 25 years of age. Then they very quickly begin to lose their enthusiasm and strength as well as their skill in hunting. They also start looking old. They become very lazy. They develop arteriosclerosis and die at a very early age even before they are 30. It was thought that their organs became diseased very early in life.

8- Dr. Heller contrasted the Eskimos with the Hunza people who live in the northern part of Kashmir. These people eat simple foods consisting of fruits, cereals, and nuts. He noted that they are strong and healthy until the age of 90-100 years and even beyond. These two races present quite a contrast, do they not?

9- When God permitted man to use flesh foods, He warned very carefully against two things. He said that they were not to use the fat in the meat, and that they were to carefully remove the blood.

10- Why was God so specific about these two items? Let us see. We will consider the blood first. As you know, it is by means of the blood that fuel and building materials are transported to every cell of the body. And it is also through the blood that the waste products from every cell are carried to the lungs, skin, and kidneys. Now when an animal is killed, of course, most of the blood is there in the tissues. This means, that not only the food materials such as vitamins and minerals are there, but also the waste products. Even today, strict Jewish people are very careful to follow the instruction of God. They bleed the animal and then add salt to the flesh to remove as much blood as possible. By the way, the flesh treated this way is almost tasteless because it is the waste products that are responsible for the flavor.

11- Most people would rather have their meat full of flavor! But when meat is eaten, these waste products are added to the body's waste products and must be excreted through the kidneys thus adding more work to those organs.

12- Why was fat forbidden? Animal fats are not the best source of fuel for body heat. Animal fat is very high in cholesterol-that substance which so often clogs up the arteries and causes so much trouble.

13- There is also a tendency for people to eat more than they need when served cuts of meat loaded with extra fat! You know what the result of overeating is? A great burden is put onto the heart and other organs of the body of the over­weight person. Through the centuries, and especially in recent years there is growing another very important reason for God's original diet.

14- That reason is the terribly diseased condition of animals. There is hardly a chicken that does not have cancer. Even fish that are caught in what we consider clean waters have tumors and serious diseases. It is impossible for meat inspection laws to prevent sick and diseased animals from being slaughtered and sold for food. As the land, air, and water are being more and more polluted, the animal kingdom is being greatly affected.

15- Poison is poison. Even though a bottle of poison is sterile-it is still poison! Cooking flesh foods very well helps some, but it cannot remove the poisons of disease. .

16- Many of you may be asking, "Is it really possible to get the kind of protein we need from vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains?" May I assure you that it most definitely is. You may feel slightly weak at first as you leave off flesh foods, but that is because your body is no longer receiving the harmful stimulants that are a part of the waste products of meat—just as when a man stops smoking, his body misses the nicotine for a while, but how much better off you are without it!

17- No one should change his diet by simply eating the same and leaving off the meat. He should learn to add wholesome foods in the place of flesh foods and eliminate refined empty calorie foods as well. Usually the change-over should be somewhat gradual, but nevertheless, steady and progressive. Let us learn how to use the many good foods God has given in order to keep these wonderful bodies of ours and these wonderful minds of ours well and strong.

18- God wants to give us the gift of eternal life very soon. He wants to give us His Holy Spirit daily, moment by moment, to bring us happiness and continual victory over the devil. Our bodies must be clean homes for this great presence and experience.

19- If I had a very costly and precious present for you and you held out two containers to me—one filthy and broken, the other clean and whole, into which do you think I would place my gift? The clean one, of course. This is how God wants our bodies to be. There is much more about this important subject in the Holy Scriptures. I know you would like to hear what God has to say.

20- No doubt, vegetarianism is God's ideal for us, but for those who have not yet been able to follow it, God has specified in the Bible what to eat and what not to eat. This is because He wants to have the best health possible.

21- Another reason is because we are His children and He says, "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." Therefore He says, "Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing." Deuteronomy 142,3.

22- The following are among the dean animals: "The ox, the sheep, and the goat, the hart, and the roebuck and the fallow deer and the wild goat, and the pygar, and the wild ox, and the chamios. And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat." Deuteronomy 14:4-6.

23- The following are among the unclean animals: "Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud but divided not the hoof; therefore, they are unclean unto you. And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass. Deuteronomy 14:7, 8. From the water animals these are clean-"All that have fins and scales shall ye eat." Deuteronomy 14:9. "Whatsoever hath not fins and scales, ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you." Deuteronomy 14:10. "Of all clean birds ye shall eat." Deuteronomy 14:11. "But of all clean fowls ye may eat." Deuteronomy 14:20.

24- "But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey and the glades, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, and every raven after its kind. And the owl and the night hawk and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind. The little owl and the great owl and the swan. And the pelican, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you; they shall not be eaten. ." Deuteronomy 14:12-19. These are all flesh eaters and scavengers. "Ye shall not eat anything that dieth of itself." Deuteronomy 14:21.

25- No doubt there is a purpose for creating all these creatures like vultures, crows, kites, swine, etc. They are created for cleaning. They serve as scavengers. All are not created for eating purposes.

26- Man's ideal food as prescribed by God is fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables. He is leading us step by step to man's original diet. In Heaven there will be no death of any of His creatures. We can start enjoying that atmosphere here by God's grace. Even though among us there might be those who are not quite vegetarians, make sure that you are eating the clean ones and try to replace it permanently by a good nutritious vegetarian diet.

27- God loved us to the extent that He gave His son as a sacrifice for our sins. May He help us so that we will not consider any thing too great a sacrifice to meet God's desires: for us. If we are only willing to follow Him here, He will—enable to fulfill all His desires. As we go, along we will understand that all His desires for us are for our good in this world and to prepare us for a home with Him when Jesus comes.

Here is additional information on healthful living:

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth:" -3 John 2.

"And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee."-Exodus 23:25.

"If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee."­ Exodus 15..26.

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."-1 Corinthians 6:20.

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat"-Genesis 1:29.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."-1 Corinthians 10:31.

"I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"­ 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

"I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."-John 8:12.

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