I was talking with a fellow diabetes friend about insurance and wanted to know what kind of insurance he had. This brought up all kinds of conversation about doctors and his health in the past. He had been going to his doctor for years and was very pleased with him. One day he is having really, REALLY bad stomach pains. He is taken to the hospital and was seen by a doctor (not his because he was out of town). Well, the attending doctor told him he had pancreatitis. They started treating him for this and he wasn't getting better. His doctor found out he was in the hospital and came home to see him. When he got there, he examined him and took tests and said he DIDN'T have pancreatitis. He decided to try to isolate his problem. Ended up he was having a reaction to his meds...needed to stop taking one particular one because it wasn't helping anymore.
The thing about this whole thing is that the attending doctor was treating a symptom. Leroy's doctor stepped in and knew his history, knew the drugs he was taking, knew what worked and what didn't because he knew Leroy's body. After all, he'd been treating him for years and knew how his body reacted to things and what to look for. The same way that God, our Great Physician, knows our bodies because He created them and knows how things work or don't work. It's nice to know that this One doctor that I have, who's known me from the beginning, is always there to keep me healthy, physically and spiritually. In the First Place 4 Health Bible Study, we are there for each other, encouraging each other and praying for each other as we travel this road of weight loss together. We are figuring out what works and what doesn't for us, for our unique selves. God is showing each of us, through our different health issues, how to rebuild this temple for His glory.
Haggai 1:8 says: "Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored." Notice the action verbs..."Go", "bring", "build". We used each word to describe something we could do to physically begin working with God to rebuild our temples. "Go" grocery shopping (as opposed to eating out all the time). "Bring" healthy foods home from the store. "Build" a menu list (a way to be prepared so you don't end up going out).
How will you please and honor God today? Where will you go? What will you bring? What will you build?
"God, I am honored to call my body Your temple! Help me to get stronger so I can
fulfill my responsibilities as a member of Your household. Amen"*
*ã2010 First Place 4 Health - Balanced Living, Published by Gospel Light, Ventura, CA
