Devotional Thoughts on
Total Wellness
Shedding the Load
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10, ESV) When I lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I participated in an annual 5-K race on the fourth of July. Following the 5-K they had a 1-mile Survival Run where the participants ran in combat…
Defeating the Blame Game
“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12, ESV) When I was a boy, my brother and I used to get in trouble a lot. We would be doing something that we should not have and possibly break something. My mother would try to investigate the problem. However,…
When Others Hurt With You
“So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head . . . Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”” (Job 2:7-9, ESV) One evening as I…
The Right Question
“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’” (John 5:6, ESV) There was a college student one time who was taking an exam just before the Christmas break. He did not study and did not know…
Baggage Handling
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:6–7, CSB) Before the Lord called me to the full-time pastorate, I worked as the Director of Technical Services for a company that…
Group Exercises (Part 2)
“And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:45, ESV) Many years ago, I began an engineering and management consulting business. In the beginning everything was coming up roses. Yet after six-months the bottom dropped out. I had no business. The business account went…
Group Exercises (Part 1)
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV) When I was in the military, we would run in formation and do certain exercises, calisthenics, as a unit. The idea here was to train together and to be in peak physical condition.…
A Spiritual Training Center
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the…
Spiritual Trainers – Ephesians 4:11-16
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:11–12, ESV) While in the United States Army, my first duty assignment was as a tank platoon leader in Germany. One of my additional duties…
Spiritual Fitness Training
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7–8, ESV) There have been a few times in my…
Digesting Spiritual Food – Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8, ESV) When…
Food for Spiritual Health (Matt 4:4)
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, ESV) Over my lifetime, recommendations over the food we eat has changed dramatically. Egg yolks were once the worst alternative for a healthy diet. Health-conscious people felt that an egg white omelet was preferred over…
Spiritual Examination
“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.” (2 Corinthians 13:5, CSB) With regards to our health, we often need to examine ourselves. We are told by doctors to be sensitive to changes in our…
When Spiritual Illness Hits – 1 Jn 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV) I remember one time as a child that my day was at work, and I did something that I was not supposed to do. I played around with his…
A Chronic Condition Eph 2:1-2, 4-5
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—” (Ephesians 2:1–2, ESV) Anyone who has owned a car will realize that it has…
The Prescription
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:13–14, ESV) When you go to a medical doctor…
Bring Them to Jesus
“And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles…
Priority In Wellness
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, ESV) When I was in the Army, I had a company commander that stated everything was top priority. It was a nice…
The Great Physician
“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” (Matthew 4:23, ESV) When people are sick, they need healing. They will normally go to a medical doctor or seek some sort of therapy that will deal with…
Why Wellness Is Difficult
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.” (Romans 8:20-21a, ESV) As I have surveyed my 74 years on this earth, I have come to the realization that wellness is not an…
Total Wellness Healthy Soldiers
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:3–4, ESV) One of the things we as people seek is to be healthy. This was a huge focus in the military, to keep solders in good peak condition for fighting. Most would think that…
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