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every muscle, every faculty, which has been entrusted to man. And
every misuse of any part of our organism is a violation of that law.
All should have an intelligent knowledge of the human frame that
they may keep their bodies in the condition necessary to do the work of
the Lord. The physical life is to be carefully preserved and developed
that through humanity the divine nature may be revealed in its fullness.
The relation of the physical organism to the spiritual life is one of
the most important branches of education. It should receive careful
attention in the home and in the school. All need to become acquainted
with their physical structure and the laws that control natural life. He
who remains in willing ignorance of the laws of his physical being
and who violates them through ignorance is sinning against God. All
should place themselves in the best possible relation to life and health.
Our habits should be brought under the control of a mind that is itself
under the control of God.
“Know ye not,” says the apostle Paul, “that your body is the temple
of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are
not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God
in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
1 Corinthians 6:19,
20
.
Strength
We are to love God, not only with all the heart, mind, and soul,
but with all the strength. This covers the full, intelligent use of the
physical powers.
Christ was a true worker in temporal as well as in spiritual things,
and into all His work He brought a determination to do His Father’s
will. The things of heaven and earth are more closely connected and
are more directly under the supervision of Christ than many realize. It
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was Christ who planned the arrangement for the first earthly tabernacle.
He gave every specification in regard to the building of Solomon’s
temple. The One who in His earthly life worked as a carpenter in the
village of Nazareth was the heavenly architect who marked out the
plan for the sacred building where His name was to be honored.
It was Christ who gave to the builders of the tabernacle wisdom to
execute the most skillful and beautiful workmanship. He said, “See,
I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of