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The current financial crisis facing our nation demonstrates the reality of what is often referred to as our global economy. The challenges our financial institutions are experiencing have affected financial institutions around the world. The economies of nations around the globe have become so interdependent upon one another that what affects one, affects all the others.
This same dynamic is also true of a human being. Modern medicine recognizes the intimate connection between a person’s mental and emotional state of being with a person’s physical health. Excessive amounts of stress weaken the immune system, making a person more vulnerable to illness and disease. Seventh-day Adventists believe we also need to recognize that one’s spiritual health is interdependent with a person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being.
In I Corinthians 6:19, 20, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Unlike the ancient Greeks who saw the body and spirit as separate entities, the Bible presents a picture of the human being as that of a whole person. Just like today’s global economy, body, mind and spirit are all connected and interdependent. Your body is not separate from your spiritual life. In fact, as Paul said, the Holy Spirit dwells in your body.
This biblical understanding of a human being as a whole person has motivated Seventh-day Adventists to emphasize the importance of healthful living. In order to experience optimal spiritual health, a person needs to be healthy physically, mentally and emotionally. When you take good care of your mind and body, you are also caring for your spiritual health. If you abuse your body, then you are also doing damage to your spiritual life.
Studies have shown that Seventh-day Adventists live an average of 7-10 years longer than the general population of the U. S. In addition, Seventh-day Adventists have significantly lower incidence of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes than the rest of the population. And what is the reason for this?
It is very simply a matter of living a healthy lifestyle. This lifestyle includes following a balanced, nutritious diet. Most Americans are killing themselves by what they eat and drink. For over 100 years, Seventh-day Adventists have advocated following a vegetarian diet. By eliminating animal products from your diet, you eliminate cholesterol, saturated fat and many cancer-causing agents. But it is not enough to follow a good diet.
A healthy lifestyle includes regular exercise, 8-10 hours of sleep each night, drinking lots of pure water daily, avoiding harmful habits like smoking and consuming alcohol, and at the foundation of all of this, trust and faith in God.
Faith in God will help you avoid the harm that stress can cause. God promises to meet all of your needs and to give you peace. Trust in God can provide the foundation for a life of health-physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Seventh-day Adventists in Roseburg are eager to share the blessings God has given to us. We regularly offer classes to help you stop smoking, educate you about living a healthy lifestyle and how to follow a vegetarian diet. As the Apostle John wrote in III John 2, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you, and that you may be in health.”
Lyle Arakaki is senior pastor of the Roseburg Seventh-day Adventist Church.
From the Pulpit is a regular Friday feature of The News-Review written by Douglas County religious leaders. Please contact June Davies 957-4206 to schedule or suggest a possible writer.
This same dynamic is also true of a human being. Modern medicine recognizes the intimate connection between a person’s mental and emotional state of being with a person’s physical health. Excessive amounts of stress weaken the immune system, making a person more vulnerable to illness and disease. Seventh-day Adventists believe we also need to recognize that one’s spiritual health is interdependent with a person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being.
In I Corinthians 6:19, 20, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Unlike the ancient Greeks who saw the body and spirit as separate entities, the Bible presents a picture of the human being as that of a whole person. Just like today’s global economy, body, mind and spirit are all connected and interdependent. Your body is not separate from your spiritual life. In fact, as Paul said, the Holy Spirit dwells in your body.
This biblical understanding of a human being as a whole person has motivated Seventh-day Adventists to emphasize the importance of healthful living. In order to experience optimal spiritual health, a person needs to be healthy physically, mentally and emotionally. When you take good care of your mind and body, you are also caring for your spiritual health. If you abuse your body, then you are also doing damage to your spiritual life.
Studies have shown that Seventh-day Adventists live an average of 7-10 years longer than the general population of the U. S. In addition, Seventh-day Adventists have significantly lower incidence of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes than the rest of the population. And what is the reason for this?
It is very simply a matter of living a healthy lifestyle. This lifestyle includes following a balanced, nutritious diet. Most Americans are killing themselves by what they eat and drink. For over 100 years, Seventh-day Adventists have advocated following a vegetarian diet. By eliminating animal products from your diet, you eliminate cholesterol, saturated fat and many cancer-causing agents. But it is not enough to follow a good diet.
A healthy lifestyle includes regular exercise, 8-10 hours of sleep each night, drinking lots of pure water daily, avoiding harmful habits like smoking and consuming alcohol, and at the foundation of all of this, trust and faith in God.
Faith in God will help you avoid the harm that stress can cause. God promises to meet all of your needs and to give you peace. Trust in God can provide the foundation for a life of health-physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Seventh-day Adventists in Roseburg are eager to share the blessings God has given to us. We regularly offer classes to help you stop smoking, educate you about living a healthy lifestyle and how to follow a vegetarian diet. As the Apostle John wrote in III John 2, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you, and that you may be in health.”
Lyle Arakaki is senior pastor of the Roseburg Seventh-day Adventist Church.
From the Pulpit is a regular Friday feature of The News-Review written by Douglas County religious leaders. Please contact June Davies 957-4206 to schedule or suggest a possible writer.
