The Foundation of Wellness

Let’s review wellness as presented in Scripture.
I encourage you to study these verses in context, and other verses as well, to discover the plan that God laid out for us for wellness. I firmly believe that He designed us and equipped us for perfect wellness, and any shortfall in our wellness is the result of the fall of Adam and Eve, followed by a general wandering away from the path that God had designated for men to follow.
In the Beginning…
Genesis 1:29 every plant yielding seed … shall be food for you
Genesis 1:30 to every beast, bird – every green plant for food
Genesis 2:9 God caused to grow every tree good for food
Genesis 2:16 from every tree you may eat freely
Genesis 2:17 but not from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
Genesis 3:1-7 desire for the forbidden (food/knowledge) led to sin
Genesis 3:17-19 eat of the plants of the field in toil, by sweat
Genesis 3:22-24 driven out of the garden lest he eat life fruit and live forever
My understanding of these verses (in context) is that we, man and animal alike, were created perfectly to consume a diet of plants. We (man) were created in the image of God, without sin, with free will to choose to obey. The rules were simple: every plant yielding seed was available to Adam for food, except that one tree was off limits.
Adam and his new bride were content with their choices until Satan tempted them. Unlike Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Eve and her husband yielded to the temptation – they wanted that knowledge that would make them like God and accepted Satan’s lie that they would not die. Perhaps Satan was aware that it would take almost a thousand years for them to die, but he knew he was lying anyway.
After the fall and before the flood, there was no change in the dietary instruction, (eat plants!) but now man would have to work for his food. Because there were still plants (the tree of life) that would enable them to live forever, Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden.
We can not undo the fall. We can not reverse history to go back before man wandered away from the way God had planned for him. But we can start from where we are and move closer to what will restore our wellness. The steps are simple: find out what paths lead to wellness; choose one; follow it. The only hard part is to have the internal motivation to choose and follow the path you have determined to be right for you.

Putting Wellness in Perspective

My view of wellness is that it is just one aspect of total Stewardship. When man was created, he was assigned the steward or manager of all creation (Genesis 2:19-20).

Here are some of the Facets of Stewardship as I see it:

Time -- Each of us has the same amount of time, and responsibility for how we spend it. How well we use our time is a significant measure of our ability as stewards. Eph 5:15-16 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

Talent -- I am responsible to use wisely whatever ability I have. My talents are unique, and if I don't do what I am able to do well, there may be no one else available who can do it half as well as I could have.
Lu 12:48 … And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
I Pet 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Treasure -- Giving is one of the greatest blessings of life. I can enjoy the remnant far more after giving generously to others.
Mal 3:8-10 10 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Temple -- This is where wellness comes in. If I neglect my wellness, I am allowing my temple to fall into disrepair. To make matters worse, neglecting my wellness also hampers my ability to use my talents effectively, and probably diminishes what I can give.
I Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Talk -- It seems obvious that I am responsible for what I say, yet many folks spend their lives saying things that get them into trouble.
Mt 15:11 “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Mk 7:20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.”
James 1:26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
James 3:2 … If any one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
I Pet 4:11 Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God … .

Thought -- This may take a little thought to work through, but the concept is that what I think sets the course for my life, so is a matter of significance. What I think about influences what I say, and my words influence what I do.
Pr 23:7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
I Pet 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for action … .

Team -- Whatever team I join becomes my responsibility, at least in part. Each player on a sports team bears some responsibilty for winning. Each member of a family will contribute to its effective functionin
I Cor 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
I Tim 5:8 But if any one does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has defiled his faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Although the practice of stewardship is not our ticket to enter heaven, it is clear in Scripture that the mature believer who truly loves the Lord will practice wise stewardship in all aspects of life.

Making Choices for Life

In the Bible we learn that first Aaron (Numbers 20:23-29) and then Moses (Numbers 27:12-14, Deuteronomy 34:1-8) died at the time set by God. God curtailed the life of each of them because of an error they had made (Numbers 20:6-13). One lesson I see in that Scripture is that although Moses was 120 years old, “his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.” Moses was still in full strength to do the Lord’s will, but it was time for him to be “gathered to your people.”

As we follow Moses and Aaron through the exodus, we see two men who were focused on obedience to God, with only occasional exceptions. They lived according to the Word of the Lord day by day, without consideration of what amenities might be missing from their lives. I imagine that they had enjoyed the pleasures of Egypt when they had lived there, but gladly gave up all that without feeling any loss in order to walk in close fellowship with the Lord. To them, it was not a sacrifice to eat manna instead of meat – it had been provided by God for their nourishment and was fully sufficient for their needs.

I see the same kind of thing happening today. There are some people who have gladly given up whatever might interfere with their wellness in order to be wise stewards of the health that God has given them. They have studied and learned that many of the enjoyable foods available to us are actually slow poison, feeding disease rather than wellness. By guarding their health, they will be available to obey the Lord when many others will have fallen victim to the “diseases of affluence” that result from our rich diet.

I encourage each one who reads this to investigate the power of nutrition to support wellness, or, alternatively, the power of poor diet to destroy wellness. As many will testify, it is no loss to give up those parts of our lives that undermine our ability to serve the Lord. It is not a matter of longer life, but of availability to serve while living. I want to be ALIVE as long as I live!

Choose the Good!

Psalm 103 (excerpt)

Of David.

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

-----------------------------------------

What a loving God we serve! His plan is to forgive all our sin and heal all our diseases! He satisfies our desires with good things so that we are continually renewed.

Why, then, are we surrounded by so much illness? Why are we seeing an epidemic of diabetes? Why is there so much cancer? Heart disease?

I believe the culprit is in our definition of the word Good in verse 5. What is “Good”?

My conclusion after decades of study is that Good has come to mean “tastes good”, in the sense, “If it feels good, do it.” We have bought into the concept of “get all the gusto” without considering the consequences.

On the other hand, many people have chosen to forego taste, as our culture defines it, in exchange for true Good. By avoiding food and activities that are harmful, they achieve greater satisfaction, truly enjoying what is most beneficial, and enhanced wellness. I believe that Good is what enables us to be wise stewards of the wellness God entrusted to us. As we practice the Good, we develop taste for true Good and do not miss the cultural “good” that has trapped so many in ill health.

For a more detailed view of this concept, pull out your Bible and read Exodus and Numbers, focusing on what the people of Israel ate and how they thought about it. Given the perfect food, Manna, they grumbled and complained until God gave them quail – and died with the meat still in their teeth (Numbers 11). Choose the Good!