Basic HTML Version
Health the Reward of Right Habits, August 10
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my
commandments; for length of days, and long life, and peace, shall
they add to thee.
Proverbs 3:1, 2
.
The laws of nature are the laws of God—as truly divine as are the
precepts of the Decalogue. The laws that govern our physical organism,
God has written upon every nerve, muscle, and fiber of the body. Every
careless or willful violation of these laws is a sin against our Creator.
There is an intimate relation between the mind and the body, and in
order to reach a high standard of moral and intellectual attainment, the
laws that control our physical being must be heeded. To secure a strong,
well-balanced character, both the mental and the physical powers must
be exercised and developed. What study can be more important for
the young than that which treats of this wonderful organism that God
has committed to us, and of the laws by which it may be preserved in
health?
Health may be earned by proper habits of life and may be made to
yield interest and compound interest. But this capital, more precious
than any bank deposit, may be sacrificed by intemperance in eating and
drinking, or by leaving the organs to rust from inaction. Pet indulgences
must be given up; laziness must be overcome.
The health should be as sacredly guarded as the character.
Our bodies are Christ’s purchased possession, and we are not at
liberty to do with them as we please. All who understand the laws of
health should realize their obligation to obey these laws which God
has established in their being. Obedience to the laws of health is to be
made a matter of personal duty. We ourselves must suffer the results of
violated law. We must individually answer to God for our habits and
practices. Therefore the question with us is not, “What is the world’s
practice?” but, “How shall I as an individual treat the habitation that
God has given me?”
[229]
237