Easy things to do to promote better health

Four Healthy Tips

“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” 1Timothy 4:8
I received an email from Lifeline Screening that contained a link for a page on “4 Healthy Strategies to Take on the Road”. It addresses the issues of eating well and exercising when you are on the road traveling, whether for vacation or business. I believe there are some strategies for spiritual health that correspond to the advice given in the article. Here are the 4 tips:

1. “Incorporate activity into your trip. Maybe your idea of a great vacation is lying on a beach for a week, but even that plan can accommodate a little movement, as long as it’s fun.” - We should incorporate some activity in our spiritual lives as well. We should attend the services of the church each week on the Lord’s Day and also the mid-week assemblies. I know this is a good spiritual habit because Jesus was in the habit of attending the synagogue services during his personal ministry: “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16).

2. “Choose the hotel. Seek out hotels that have health clubs or safe walking routes nearby.” - Choose well your companions in life. The wise man says in Proverbs 13:20, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” The Apostle Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.” It is very important that we choose wisely the friends with whom we spend our time. Surround yourself with godly men and women who will encourage you in what is right.

3. “If you’re driving, pack a picnic lunch or dinner to eat at a rest stop (save the roadside restaurants for coffee and bathroom stops). For longer trips, take a cooler and stock it with nutritious staples.” - Be sure that you have your Bible with you…it is your spiritual food. When you rise up and when you lie down, take time to read God’s word. God’s word gives health and life. “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).

4. “On planes, trains and buses, tuck emergency rations in your carry-on bag, if regulations permit, in case of layovers or delays. Use layover/delay time to your advantage: walk around the airport, train or bus station.” - Be spiritually prepared for the opportunities that come your way. It may be during a flight delay or while you are waiting in a lounge for your car to be serviced. Be on the lookout for people you can talk to and encourage along the way. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…” (1 Peter 3:15). Memorize God’s word and have it ready to comfort, encourage and help others.

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Chris’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

--South Hill Church of Christ
1136 South Hill Avenue
PO Box 3425
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72702-3425

The kingdom of heaven in the Bible

The Stars in God’s Show!                

    Not many aspire to be slaves these days. Nobody wants to be a nobody. Everybody wants to be a “somebody.” Millions aspire to become legends in their own time, but have to settle for being legends only in their own minds! Hollywood has a “Walk of Fame.” It is comprised of more than 2,500  five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and 3 blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, . Wikipedia.com says the stars are “public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry.” They bear the names of a mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, etc. It is a very popular tourist destination, attracting about 10 million visitors annually. If you are going to be in Hollywood’s show, you have to be a star!

    But wait a minute – God has a show, too! Jesus often referred to it as the “kingdom of heaven” and in the overwhelming number of passages where He used that phrase, it is a reference to the church, also described in the New Testament as “the body of Christ” – the people over whom Christ reigns as Lord and through whom He accomplishes His work in the world (see Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:12ff; Romans 12:3ff; Colossians 1:18, etc.). Concerning the church as God’s agent for carrying out His work in the world, the late Brother G. P. Holt nailed this statement permanently in my heart and mind in a sermon more than 35 years ago – hear this now – “YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A STAR TO BE IN GOD’S SHOW!”

Really, you don’t! What you do have to be to be in God’s show, as it turns out, is a slave! That’s right – a slave. Not a partner with God, a consultant with Christ, or a co-owner in “God’s Kingdom, Inc.” No. The only position available for those who desire to be in God’s show is slave! Don’t believe it? Take a Bible and read Matthew 20:20-28. The mother of the apostles James and John came and asked Jesus to make her boys “stars” in His kingdom by granting that “these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom” (vs 21). But the desire to star in the kingdom apparently burned in all the apostles, and so in  verses  25-28 Jesus called all of them and challenged their thinking about greatness in simple and blunt words – "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Amazing! No censure from Jesus on the desire to be somebody, to find significance, to be a success. No squelching our desire to be great. But, as is the case in many areas of  life, Jesus seeks to radically re-define and re-direct our  thinking about what makes a person great in God’s sight.

God has His own “walk of fame.” But Jesus makes clear high achievers and stars in God’s church are those who serve, not those who grab for glory and praise from people. Are you starring in God’s show, or your own?

--by Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

How much time does it take for a tooth to go numb?

I had a dental appointment this week and after the inevitable injection before a little drilling the technician said while leaving the room, "I’ll give you a little time to go numb." Of course this brought up the question, “How much time does it take to go numb?”

What comes to mind in a religious sense; is how much time does it take to harden your heart? How much time does it take before you feel no sense of guilt when you no longer look to God for guidance, let alone worship him?

I know so many people who at one time had a love for God and a love for his church; then unexpectedly it seems that they are no longer interested. They lost their joy; the joy of gathering with others; to worship the God of the universe. Sometimes I hear comments such as: "Going to church just doesn't excite me anymore,"  "I can worship as well at home," or "I find God on the lake or golf course."

How long does it take for someone to go numb? Going numb is when you have a lack of feeling. Could it be the responsibility of the people or place you have been worshiping? Possibly it is, but more than likely it is a change in your own heart that has taken place. Could you be going numb? Maybe you are already there!

The church at Ephesus was a shining light for God before the people of the world. They have a whole book of the bible devoted to the church there, most of it positive. Yet, in Revelation 2:4-5we read a message from God for them. He says, "But I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen and repent and do the first works again; or else I come to you, and will move your candlestick out of its place, unless you repent and return to loving me and putting me first."

How did that happen? How could this God loving, Mission supporting, Evangelist church forget God? When did they go numb? The answer is, One day at a time… one thought at a time… one action at a time and before they knew it they no longer felt what they had before for God and His church.

How about you, how are you doing?  -- Russ Lawson

Does Jesus care when our hearts are burdened with grief and pain?

 Some of the events of this life have a tendency to overwhelm us with grief and sorrow that is often deep and biting. As I write these words, my heart is heavy because I know that even now there are families with broken hearts, hearts that are deeply burdened with grief and pain.434esx What do you say to someone whose heart is hurting so badly and tears of anguish are flowing from their eyes?  Let me begin by simply saying, You believe in God, then trust him. With all my heart I believe that whether our way be smooth or rough, be it filled with sunshine or be it dark as the midnight, so long as we are walking with the Lord we will find the strength and courage that will lift us up and bring that peace that passes all understanding (Isa. 12:2-3, Isa. 40:31, Phil. 4:6-7). We trust in God for the eternal well being of our souls. Why not have that same trust in him to see us through the darkest hours of our journey on this earth? So long as we abide in his love, he will take care of us (Rom. 8:28). Our trust in God becomes the support that will enable us to overcome the burdened heart (Psalms 71:1). He is our shelter in the time of storm, he is truly the fountain from whence all blessings flow, he is our only hope for peace of mind (Ps. 107:26-31, 46:1-3, 2 Thess. 3:16). Have faith in him and trust him at all times (2 Tim. 1:12).

Does Jesus care when our hearts are burdened with grief and pain? The answer is a resounding, Yes He Cares (Heb. 4:15, 1 Pet. 5:7). Hear the Psalmist as he tells us that the Lord is nigh unto them with a broken heart. He is ready to hear our prayers and give to us the help we need (Heb. 4:16). Pour your heart out to him (Psalms 62:8, 1 Thess. 5:17). Rest assured our Lord has the ability and the power to bind up our broken hearts and heal all wounds. As a faithful child of God, we have the touch of the Master’s hand on us (Heb. 13:5).  With a heart filled with love for him and a life lived daily for him, we can make our sojourn through this life a victorious one (1 Cor. 15:57). Rest assured that if we follow in the footsteps of the lone Galilean (1 Pet. 2:21) then  when we take that last feeble step and cross over the river all the pain and heartache of this life will vanish away and we will be at rest forevermore.

Paul tells us that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). Our suffering in this life at times may be great, seemingly unbearable, but it will last for only a short time. The bliss, the happiness, the glory that will one day be ours will last forever and ever (2 Cor. 4:17, Rom. 8:37). These words I leave with you:  “The cross is not greater than His grace, The storm cannot hide his blessed face, I am satisfied to know that with Jesus here below, I can conquer every foe”— (Ballington Booth)

           

Charles Hicks