Wednesday's Lesson - Temperance in All Things

Read 2 Peter 1:5–9. How should these words be applied to all areas of our life, particularly when it comes to our health habits? How can we take this biblical admonishment and turn it into reality for ourselves?

When I read this passage for the first time it really fascinated me. It shows a ladder of Christian virtues that build one upon the other. The end result of this ladder is a person who is effective. Each rung of the ladder is essential to the Christian character.

All the points of this ladder can apply to our health. For example , when we talk of moral excellence this addresses our life style. A person seeking for moral excellence would not engage the use of controlled substance or elicit behavior.

This passage also talks about self-control. It takes self-control not to consume things which will damage our bodies. It also takes self-control to eat the in moderation. But it is more than about food. We must have self-control and temperance in all areas of our lives.

In order to make this a reality we must become fully aware of the areas where we need help. Rather than denying our character defects or explaining them away,we must look them squarely in the face and take them to Jesus. We have a helper in Jesus Christ but only if we are willing to accept His help.

Look at all areas of your life. How temperate are you? In what areas do you need to change? Might you even now be suffering some negative effects from wrong practices? Why not seek some help in making needed changes?

Prayer: Father please help us to find the divine balance which exists in you. We can not do this on our own. Thank you in Jesus name amen.

Tuesday's Lesson - "But Isn't Alcohol Good for the Heart?"

Since the early 1970s, debate has raged about the benefits of wine and alcohol in general on heart health. Much has been written in the lay and scientific press about studies done in France on this issue. In recent years, re-analysis of the data on the French population and further follow-up have cast significant doubt on the whole theory. Vested interests in the alcoholic beverage industry have kept the subject in public view. Many church members are wondering whether their health is suffering through their not drinking alcohol on a regular basis.

There is no literature at all to show any apparent or real benefit of alcohol to the health of young people. The claim of apparent cardiovascular health benefits of alcohol in the middle-aged population has been successfully challenged in recent scientific literature.

In the studies that showed apparent benefit, individuals who had been previous alcohol drinkers were included in the control (non-drinking) groups; some of these had stopped drinking because of alcohol-related health problems. These same control groups, in general, were in poorer health than the drinkers. Reanalysis of the data, correcting for these defects in study design, showed no demonstrable health benefits to moderate drinking, compared to the nondrinkers. Further, more analysis of the groups studied showed that those in the moderate drinking group who originally had been thought to have better health outcomes differed in other ways from the control group. They had better diets, exercised regularly, were of a higher socio-economic status, and had better access to healthcare. This set of circumstances is well-known to be associated with improved health and longevity. The benefits in these studies were not due to moderate drinking but to other lifestyle practices.

How blessed we have been to have a health message that has warned us in detail of the ravages of these poisons, even before the epidemiologists did. How dangerous it is to seek what turns out to be a nonexistent health benefit in exchange for a wide spectrum of dangerous effects of alcohol. These range from impairment of motor skills and judgment to the potential destruction caused by trauma, violence, accidents, domestic violence, cirrhosis, cancer, addiction, and even dementia.

Even just one measure of alcohol impairs neurological function and may even trigger alcohol dependence. Most important, alcohol impairs our ability to make sound judgments and respond to the Holy Spirit. Who hasn't seen people make utter fools of themselves, or even worse, through alcohol use?

Read 1 Corinthians 10:31. How could this apply to the topic at hand? On a more personal note, how can you take that principle and apply it to your own life? What changes might you need to make in order to better manifest what the Bible says here?

All the we allow into our bodies should only be things which help to keep it in optimal health. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Alcohol consumption destroys this temple, and is also destroys our health.

It is a erroneous to believe our lives are entirely compartmentalized.This is the idea that our Christianity is separate from our normal day to day life. God is glorified or God is dishonored by the way that we live our lives.

God is looking for more than lip service He wants life service.This is seen in a devotion to God in all that we do. God wants all of us.God does not want us to give dead sacrifices to Him but He wants us to be living sacrifice for Him.

Prayer: Father we desire to honor you in all that we do. Help us to give 100% to all that our hands find to do so that you may be glorified. Strengthen us to this end. In Jesus name amen.