Be in Health

Beloved, concerning all things I wish that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. 3 John 2

Serving the Lord is practical and possible only when one is in good health and strength. Without this, spirituality in a weak body will not be of much use. Therefore, brothers have been speaking again and again of the need to maintain good health and even live long life until the Lord comes back. This is not merely for selfish long-living, but for the Lord's testimony. And within this span of life, one can learn and gain more of Christ to the extent that he becomes mature and be an overcomer.  Good health is a necessity in serving the Lord.

Though our lives are in the Lord's hand, and our longevity also depends on His sovereignty and blessing, and yet certain factors also contribute to how one takes care of his health. A proper view concerning health is needed. Extremity is dangerous. In the name of the Lord's work, one cannot neglect his health. Within the capacity the Lord has given us, we must take good care of our health; eat healthy food, exercise normally, and maintain the God-given body.

When I was much younger, I wish to be an overcomer and die soon to meet the Lord. In fact, in my late twenties, I used to pray that if the Lord so will, He could take me and I would not want to live a life of facing many hurdles. As long as the Lord would deem me fit to be with Him unto eternity, I would choose the easier path of being with Him; the sooner the better. But the Lord has renewed my concept and not I wish to take good care of my health and live long for the Lord's testimony unless the Lord feels it otherwise. Paul also had this conversation with the Lord about his wish to live on the earth for the sake of the believers though he would personally prefer to be with the Lord unto eternity. 

Last week the Lord has given me and my wife a strong feeling to check up on our health. Now we are in our early forties, middle age, and it's a crucial time to pay heed to our health so that we can live long and serve the Lord better with the view of having sufficient time to mature in life. In fellowship with a sister who is a doctor in a hospital in New Delhi, we went for a Neurologist consultation. Then based on the doctor's advice we also did a complete health check-up.

Once the result came, we came to know what we need to care for. For me, I am deficient in Vitamin D and my bad cholesterol is above the normal level. These are the two things I need to take care of. Immediately, I had a sense within me to take care of this. I adjusted my diet and modified my living style. This change happened organically. The revelation of my true body condition enabled me to take the necessary steps before it is too late. 

In a similar manner, I have also been enlightened about my true spiritual condition. I need a proper God-man living, a normal Christian life, eating and drinking the Lord in and through the word and prayer. These days I have been hungry and eating the Lord through the word daily. Should the Lord wish so, I desire to complete my ongoing personal project of completing my Life-study pursuing by 2022 including listening to all the Radio programs of the Life-study of the Bible.  The Lord has been gracing me to pursue the Life-studies by reading and also by listening. I have been utilizing every break time to listen to the brothers' speaking in addition to my daily Bible studies, reading the Bible text, and other corporate pursuing of the ministry. All these are for my spiritual health.

May the Lord grace me to continue to have a good spiritual appetite to continually enjoy Him in the word and through the ministry of the word, and also take care of my physical health, to have good health and long life for His testimony. 

Yes, concerning all things I wish that I may prosper and be in health, even as my soul prospers. Lord, grace me good health.