Our 2nd Gift To Manage: Health -- Part 2

This is part 2 from yesterday's post...

There are 3 Main areas that effect our physical health.

The first area that effects our physical health is our Input (Eating/Drinking).
What fuel you put into your body has a huge effect on your health.

In Daniel 1:3-20 there's a story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and their desire to guard their input and obey God's law...

3Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, who was in charge of the palace officials, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah's royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. 4"Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men," he said. "Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good sense, and have the poise needed to serve in the royal palace. Teach these young men the language and literature of the Babylonians. F3 " 5The king assigned them a daily ration of the best food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for a three-year period, and then some of them would be made his advisers in the royal court.
6Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7The chief official renamed them with these Babylonian names:

Daniel was called Belteshazzar.
Hananiah was called Shadrach.
Mishael was called Meshach.
Azariah was called Abednego.

8But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. (He remembered God’s warning from his law about what we input into our bodies.) He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead. 9Now God had given the chief official great respect for Daniel. 10But he was alarmed by Daniel's suggestion. "My lord the king has ordered that you eat this food and wine," he said. "If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded for neglecting my duties."

11Daniel talked it over with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief official to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12"Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water," Daniel said. 13"At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet." 14So the attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion and tested them for ten days.

15At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the rich foods and wines. 17God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for learning the literature and science of the time. And God gave Daniel special ability in understanding the meanings of visions and dreams.

18When the three-year training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief official brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19The king talked with each of them, and none of them impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they were appointed to his regular staff of advisers. 20In all matters requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, the king found the advice of these young men to be ten times better than that of all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.


They guarded the input into their bodies and they became healthier than all the other guys who just ate whatever was put in front of them!

In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon says that people should enjoy eating and drinking and enjoy the results of their work, but Proverbs 23:1,2 says we need to control our appetite and show self control.

God cares about our input!

He wants us to enjoy food and drink, but just not let our appetites get out of control!

God’s word basically tells us what ever good diet does…

Eat better (healthier food) eat less (control how much you eat - lower your calories) and your health will be better!

I remember reading in a Reader’s Digest article awhile back that if you stay on your diet 80% of the time (about 5 days of the week) you’ll still loose weight!

That means we don’t have to be obsessed when it comes to guarding our input.

We can loosen up a little on weekends. That will help us to feel freer and keep it up! Just don’t go too crazy on your looser eating days!

But input isn’t the only thing that effects our health.

TOMORROW We'll look at the second area that effects our health...