Sermon Tone Analysis

One of the ways that we can live wisely in a foolish world is to learn to take care of our health.

Since we only have one body to serve the Lord with, it is important that we take care of it to honor Him all the days of our lives.

Paul pleads with believers;

Though this is more to the spiritual sense, the body is the vessel God uses to manifest His holiness and service to Him to prove His will to the world!

Let’s look at some ways that we can take care of our bodies to live a Healthy Life!

Text; Proverbs 3:1-2, 8

Proverbs 3:1–8 (NKJV)

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;

2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.

8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

It shouldn’t surprise us that obedience to God’s commandments and other laws would promote good health.

When we obey them, we operate in accordance with His instructions.

As our Creator, He knows what’s best for us.

1. Eat a Balanced Diet;

A balanced diet includes meat, veggies, fruit, and grains.

Have you ever thought about the teeth that God gave us?

Think about the teeth of a dog, bear, or cat, which are carnivores (car-ni-vores), meaning meat eaters.

Now, picture the teeth of a cow or horse, which are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants and no meats.

Which type of teeth did God give us?

Both, so a balanced diet is important to the health of our bodies and our digestive system to keep us healthy.

[The Israelites were given dietary laws in Lev.11 clean/unclean animals, Daniel encouraged the kings eunuch to give him and his friends vegetables and water for 10 days and compare them with the others who were eating the kings delicacies, in the Book of Acts Peter was shown by God that all food is clean/acceptable to eat].

A balanced diet doesn’t only deal with the variety of things we eat but also how much we eat.

Eating too much is bad for your health.

Don’t be a glutton!

In the 1960’s the seating capacity of a church sanctuary in a building project was based on 18 inches per person.

Today the seating capacity is based on 24 inches.

I can happily report we are under the average at 22 inches!

2. Exercise;

God created our bodies to tend the earth, be active and serve Him.

That means we need to keep our bodies in good working order.

A balanced diet combined with regular exercise can help us do that.

Notice that the verse does not say there is no need for exercise.

Rather, it says that exercise is valuable, but it prioritizes exercise by saying that godliness is of greater value [there needs to be a balance of spiritual/physical exercise]

Regular exercise helps prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, obesity and depression.

The greatest health benefit in exercise is during the first 15 minutes.

So just 15 minutes a day of exercise outside of our normal activities is better than nothing.

The apostle Paul uses physical training in illustrating spiritual truths

The fact that Paul uses athletic terminology to teach us spiritual truths indicates that Paul viewed physical exercise, and even competition, in a positive light.

We are both physical and spiritual beings.

3. Learn to Laugh;

Laughter is healthy!

People take themselves and life too seriously sometimes.

If all the scriptures are divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit [which they are], then God wants us to laugh and enjoy life!

The scriptures may never specifically say that Jesus laughed, but I believe He did.

Who can take a child in his arms and not smile?

The religious leaders accused Jesus of having too good a time in life

Jesus spoke of rejoicing in His parables in Luke 15—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son were all found.

The result in each case was great rejoicing.

Jesus told these stories as illustrations of the joy found in repentance.

Scriptures on laughter

Close;

A healthy life is not only good for the body but also for the soul.

This body we have is a gift of God, His holy temple, bought at a high price, so we need to take care of it and use it for His glory.