Ask about health: What is the definition of health?…The state of being free from illness or injury.
Ask about health in the Bible: Does it talk about health in the Bible? What are some examples?…Yes. Here are some examples: physical health, not being lazy, spiritual health, etc.
Read Genesis 3:1-24
Ask about the curses: Why did these curses occur?…Humans disobeyed God’s clear commands to not eat from the tree of life.
Ask about the new punishments and commands: The new punishments and commands, as a result of Adam’s and Eve’s sin, are the following: The livestock will be cursed, humans will crawl on their belly, humans will eat dust for the rest of your life, women will endure pain during childbearing, enmity (or opposition) will occur between man and woman, the husband shall rule over the wife, man will endure painful toil (or exhausting physical labor), and humans will die and return to the ground.
Ask about painful toil: What are some current jobs that fit the description of one that includes toil, or exhausting physical labor?…construction, gold-mining, logging, farming, maintenance, etc.
Talk about working hard: According to the Bible, we are destined to work hard for our food. Obviously, many of our ancestors had to “make a living” by hunting, gathering berries and nuts, farming, fishing, and being a shepherd. All of this could be considered hard, exhausting work. Currently, we have many jobs and careers that help us to earn a living to provide food for ourselves and our families. Even though we may not have to do work that is considered toil, we still must work hard to earn the money to pay for the food.
Read Proverbs 10:4-5…This verse emphasizes what America and many other countries value: “If we work hard enough, we have the potential to be rich. If we don’t work hard, we may become impoverished.”
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27…Look at verse 26. What does it mean to run aimlessly?…No direction, useless, lazy.
Ask about beating the air: What can be other examples of a useless action, like beating the air?…living with no purpose and sitting around.
Read Judges 3:18-25…If we become neglectful to our physical health like Eglon, we may have a difficult time defending ourselves when the times come.
Ask about complaining: Do you ever complain about not getting enough sleep?
Read Proverbs 6:1-19…What does it say here?…It is easy to give in to the temptation of sleeping more and being lazy rather than being productive and working. In other words, we shouldn’t be sleeping or resting when we should be working.
Compare sleep and a knife: Let’s compare sleep and a knife. With a knife, you can use it for both good and evil. On one hand, you can stab your buddy in the arm, which is obviously bad. On the other hand, you can use it to cut a watermelon for your family, which obviously is good, because watermelon is delicious. Sleep also has the potential to be used for both good and evil. Moreover, living the life of “oversleeping”, in which you sleep more than needed, is dangerous. It can lead you to living a selfish, purposeless life.
Ask about being spiritually unhealthy: What does it mean to be spiritually unhealthy?
Talk about spiritually unhealthiness: If you deny the past’s impact on the present, you are spiritually unhealthy.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21…This doesn’t necessarily mean that we should forget our past sins, mistakes, and where we came from, but instead, learn from it, grow from it, and use it as part of your testimony. We are made new! We should identify that we are no longer identified by our sins, but rather through Christ.
Talk again about spiritual unhealthiness: If you divide your life into “secular” and “sacred” compartments, you are spiritually unhealthy.
Ask about secular/sacred compartments: Do you find that you present yourself completely in church compared to in public? Are you acting hypocritically? Are you following Christ in everything that you do or only in certain settings?
Talk again about spiritual unhealthiness: Another clue of an individual’s spiritual unhealthiness is if the individual is “doing for God instead of being with God”…Even though we are asked to do certain things for God, the main aspect of “being with God” is sometimes neglected. It is necessary to make time for God as often as you can. Additionally, we should read the Bible with intent to strengthen our faith rather than an action to make us feel that we are a good-enough Christian. Guess what? As a Christian, you are already good enough for God. God wants you to be with him. Build a relationship, rather than just actions to maintain the Christian-identity. Recognize the impact that a relationship with God can do for you. Don’t use it as a luxury (once in a while), pursue it always.
Read Matthew 4:4
Talk again about spiritual unhealthiness: If you can’t recognize your need for God, you are spiritually unhealthy. Have you accepted the fact that you are weak, imperfect, and can’t live life on your own? Do you feel that you have heard all of the sermons at church before and see no need in church? Do you feel that you are too sinful for church? Guess what: God says that we are weak and need him and a fellowship of believers. Additionally, we are always good enough for him, even if we don’t feel that we are.
Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Conclusion question: Are you spiritually healthy or are you just beating the air?