Being A Healthy Christian

WED., OCT. 3, 1990, 6:09 AM
FARM, STUDY

The professional field of which you are a part is health education. I have led you to this, and you have developed well within it. It is not a high status field, as you culture sees it, and you are not outstanding in the field. Yet you are where you should be, with about the right balance to your life.

You also are a born again Christian, with a close personal relationship with Me, the Holy Spirit. You have been able to relate the spiritual nature of your life, based in your Christian faith, to your work as a health educator, in ways that many of your colleagues have not. You know that I see this as desirable and, as I have told you, you are able to do this so easily because of your work and status in the field, over these years.

I have helped you to develop statements about health, and I am quite satisfied with your present conclusion that health is the quality of a person’s functioning and of that person’s adapting. This morning, as the weather shifts from beautiful to less so, I want to talk with you about being and becoming a healthy Christian. Each person has present being, but also is in a process of becoming. So her health can be seen as how well she has functioned in the past, how well she is functioning in this present time, and how well she is likely to adapt to the future.

One aspect of Christian functioning is familiarity with the Holy Scriptures. You are not outstanding, but you clearly are above average in your knowledge of Scripture and your familiarity with the scope of the Biblical story. You were called on to tell the Joseph story to the children. It is known that you are comfortable with the Scriptures. Continue to consider the Scripture portion of the worship service seriously, marking your Bible, and letting others see that it is important. This is a facet of being a healthy Christian.

Another aspect is your capacity and willingness to function as one who prays. Even though organized, conscious prayer is not part of your daily life (and this does reduce your health as a Christian), you pray well when called upon, and you are known as one who can lead prayer, even spontaneously. This, of course, is because of your relationship with Me, for I often put prayers upon your heart. I want you to be a healthy Christian, and I help in ways that I can.

You are active in your congregation, and this is evidence of health. You function well in writing the newsletter, in being a worship leader, and in showing forth Christian fellowship. I continue to advise you to avoid administrative leadership positions. You exhibit health in dodging these, for you truly do not do these well. It is healthy to have active knowledge of what you do well and not so well.

You are a healthy Christian when you give priority to church activities, such as writing the newsletter, and when you give to the church in the first check of the month. You are falling behind in your giving to other good causes. Being a healthy Christian means that you know all that you have comes from Me, and that you give back, freely and willingly. Your wealth is not to hoard, but to spread forth, in ways that will improve your society.

There is much that you do and do not do that detracts from your health in Christian context. But I do not consider it healthy to focus on the negative, on the shortcomings. And I say this even as I came to Ezekiel and led him in the messages he gave. Being versatile is a healthy characteristic, so I say. So find ways to praise and recognize people for the good they do. Encourage a love of learning, and, yes, encourage love in all of your dealings with people. The healthy Christian is the one who feels love for life, for opportunities, for events, and for as many people as possible.