What Does Healthy Living Mean, Anyway?

• Healthy: possessing good health; conducive to good health*.
Synonyms: active; flourishing; strong; vigorous; wholesome; fit; robust; well.
• Living: possessing life; a manner or means of maintaining life, livelihood*.
Synonyms: existence; income; support; work; occupation; life.
*The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Is healthy living your goal? No doubt about it, I need my life, my income, my work to be flourishing and strong. I desire a wholesome life, an active life that is fit and healthy. Jesus said that He came to give us a more abundant life (see John 10:10). Now that's healthy living!

Healthy living influences all areas of our existence: mental, emotional, physical, relational, spiritual, occupational, financial. It affects intellect, personality and character. We were created to grow, and to grow we must strive to remain healthy. Without nutritious food, pure water, clean air, adequate exercise and rest we sicken. Without regular spiritual food our spirits languish. Without intellectual stimulation we become mentally dull. When growth stops, life stops. Granted, we do not continue to grow in physical stature throughout our lives, but we should be growing, maturing constantly, in all other areas in order to achieve our destiny--the thing for which we were created.

How do we attain this abundant life, this healthy living? For Christians, the Bible holds the key.

• Food - the Lord is the supplier of bread for natural (see Matthew 14:21)and the Bread of Life for spiritual food (see John 6:48).
• Water - the Holy Spirit gives rivers of living water - only the purest (see John 7:38).
• Air - the Holy Spirit is breathed on us (see John 20:22) - pure air indeed.
• Exercise - of the body– benefits a little, but exercising our spirits unto godliness brings great gain (see 1 Timothy 4:7, 8).
• Rest - physical (see Proverbs 3:24) and spiritual (see Matthew 11:29) comes from the Lord.
• Intellect - like the Bereans, we need to search the scriptures regularly to keep our minds healthy and alert (see Acts 17:11).
• Emotions - we need to fill our minds with healthy, positive things (see Philippians 4:8) in order to have healthy emotions.
• Relationships - live at peace with everyone as far as we have the ability (see 2 Corinthians 13:11)and our relationships will remain intact and healthy.
• Occupational/business - work with enthusiasm as unto the Lord Himself (see Colossians 3:23; Proverbs 10:4) to be prosperous.
• Financial - God gives us power to make wealth (see Deuteronomy 8:18) but we need to seek Him for wisdom and know-how to use that power creatively for a productive and positive purpose to meet our material needs (see also Philippians 4:19).
• Character - we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

So, in a nutshell, the answer to my question is...Jesus! I challenge you, if you have not already done so, to join me in a continuing quest for Healthy Living. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Be a winner!