What is “good health”?
3 John 1:2, NASB shares: “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
I think “good health” is something we take for granted, especially for people of faith. High blood pressure? I’ll take some medicine and pray it away. Diabetes? I’ll lay some hands and still eat whatever I want. Extra weight has my knees hurting? I’ll blame the tactics of the enemy, yet continue with the habits that brought me to this place.
Why are we like that? Why are we so stubborn in our faith? If faith without works is dead, then we deactivate the potential that faith can have in our lives by not supplementing it with our actions. Maybe it’s our perspective of health that has us uninspired to invest in maintaining it?
Most people see health simply as the “absence of disease or ailment.” But do you know you’re fighting off “ailments” every second of the day? At this very moment, there is bacteria in your body trying to derail your immune system, but “good health” is prevailing. There is a migraine brewing around the corner, but “good health” is prevailing. There is a strained muscle that wants to cause your hip joint to fail, but “good health” is prevailing.
Having good health doesn’t mean we never get sick or hurt. It means that we have the ability to heal from these illnesses and injuries. Perhaps if we viewed good health as “the ability to heal,” then maybe we would start actively participating in this healing as well. Maybe we’d make decisions to support this healing with the food we eat, the beverages we drink and the activities we do.
Whether you have an illness, a nagging injury, or a chronic disease, there are still elements of you that are able to heal, otherwise you wouldn’t be alive. Therefore, honor the abundant life within you by investing in your good health. You can dive into this concept and more in my book, “Eat, Drink, Do: 3 Basic Principles for Health by the Bible.” Visit the website www.doctorasha.com/books for more information and group study guides.
Dr. Asha Fields Brewer is a creator of healthy conversations. As a national speaker and published author, she teaches the busy and overwhelmed how to live life abundantly. She is the owner of Temple Fit Co. wellness agency, which is home to 25-plus wellness speakers and fitness instructors. Tune in to “Temple Fit Devotions with Dr. Asha” on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. on Hallelujah 95.3 FM.
