10 Jul You Can Be Healthy in a Sick World! (Part 2)
1 Peter 1:23-2:3 – …you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
During one season of my life, I was physically not well. A combination of stress from work, severe Seasonal Affective Disorder, and mainly a very poor diet had me sick all the time, feeling awful, and just generally beat up and burned out.
I went to one doctor who wanted to prescribe a long list of medications that I would be taking for years to come. Since I was not that old, I wanted to see if there was another option. Another doctor said that if I would tell him my diet, he could predict my illness. Apparently, the old adage, “you are what you eat” is true. He assigned me books to read, videos to watch, and a nutrition coach to meet with. Everything I learned completely aligned with what my wife Grace, who was very healthy, knew the whole time and practiced in her own diet. I should have been listening to her wisdom, but did not, which was foolish.
It took some months for my palette to change, and eventually I enjoyed the taste of healthier foods. It took some time to see improved health, so I had to stick with the new menu in faith that I would get healthier. Once I did get healthy, I realized how sick I was for many years.
Today, I could not imagine going back to the dietary choices I put in my body for so many years. My health is incredibly good, my energy levels are high, my mood is improved, and I sleep like a hyper-Calvinist on cold medicine.
What is true of our body, Peter says, is true of our soul. If we have a junk food diet of negative news, sick social media, and evil entertainment we are poisoning ourselves. Sometimes, we need to fast from such things, reset our spiritual taste buds, and make some new choices so that we can get and stay healthy. This is precisely what the Word of God is for. It is God’s way of providing completely healthy, life-giving, soul-satisfying, impurity-cleansing nutrition for your soul.
How’s your time in God’s Word going?
To download the free e-book ODD LIFE: Good God which is a study in 1 Peter for individuals, groups, and families from Pastor Mark click HERE. To listen to Pastor Mark’s 9 sermons on 1 Peter preached in the summer of 2020, click HERE. These and other resources are made possible by our ministry partners who support Real Faith as a Bible teaching ministry of Mark Driscoll Ministries to whom we say THANK YOU!
