Health and Well-Being

     It is a sad statistic that so many people in the Valley are struggling with their health. This breaks my heart because God desires to give us health and prosperity. There are many reasons for illness that comes upon us and I don’t pretend to know every reason. Some of the reasons for poor health are very obvious and can be summed up by the word, “Obedience”.

     In Exodus God said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”

     In short, God is saying that we will retain good health if we are obedient. I have tested this and found it to work. God has given us a miraculous body that cannot be re-created by man. However, it is not indestructible and it will age. Sometimes we are our health’s own worst enemy. Consider how we gradually destroy it every hour by smoking. Consider how we gradually test its healing capabilities by abusing alcohol or ingesting narcotics for recreation. Many of us rob our bodies of the proper nutrition and rest we need. Still others direct their inner thoughts towards corruption and hate. These things destroy our bodies.

     What are the commandments and statutes that God considers right in His sight? Jesus says that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind. If we love Him, we desire to do what is right in His sight. We desire to care for the amazing body He has given us. We do not worship the American idols of substance abuse, money, jobs, self, and excessive busyness. We are to put Him first and He has promised to give us the things we need. We are to love others as ourselves. Put the needs of others first in your life. This is a phenomenal spiritual concept. We cannot commit sin if we are obedient to this. Lack of obedience to God is the root cause of disease.

     Note that God says of Himself, “I am your healer”. Do you believe that? Do you want to get well? Start with obedience to His commandments and statutes. Be ruthless in your personal assessment of obedience. Make a list of your disobedient ways and then make a list of ways you can be obedient. Depart from the disobedient ways and vigorously pursue the ways of obedience. Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ways of goodness and then walk in them.

Submitted by Pastor Mark of Cornerstone Community Church, 1290 Grande Ave. Del Norte. 657-9107 www.cornerstonedelnorte.org