Online Bible Study - Our New Life in Christ
Eat, Drink, and be Merry?
SECTION TWO: "Eat, Drink and be Merry?" How does a Christian take care of his or her own body and mind?
In lesson one of this Bible study, we searched God's Word to discover why we should try to live in a way that is pleasing to God. We learned that we have a very special relationship with God. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to set us free from sin, to restore us to friendship with our God, and to win for us the promise of everlasting life! In response to God's love, we offer Him our worship, we give Him first place in our lives, and we let our thoughts and our words reflect that love to others.
We as Christians want to do even more. We want our whole lives to give witness to God's love and concern. God has given us the tools to do just that. He has provided us with our bodies and minds so that we can serve Him and serve others in His name. Those tools are very important for our Christian lives. Without them we would not be able to respond to our God.
EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY!
Sure, we know all that! We really want to take good care of our bodies and minds so that we can be better servants to our God.
But the temptations are SO strong!
All you have to do is walk into a bakery or a cafeteria. Just look at all those fabulous foods! Cakes, and cookies, and rolls and buns! Steaming pots of delicious rice, ready to be eaten and enjoyed. Every variety of side dish: fish, chicken and colorful vegetables. There is even a wide choice of desserts·he perfect ending to a perfect meal! Ah, yes, the Devil certainly knows how to tempt. And soon our bodies are not as healthy as they once were.
Problems, problems, problems! We have problems with the children at home. Every day brings new problems at work. We have an argument with a close friend and the problems get worse. How can we escape from all those problems? That's when we're easy targets for the Devil's next big temptation. He offers us what seems like a quick and easy escape. If we drink a little alcohol, things start to seem a little bit easier to handle. Then we drink more, and the problems seem to disappear. Often we drink too much, because the temptation is so inviting. Or we find that if we take certain kinds of drugs, drugs that relax our minds, then our problems seem small and far away. We surrender the control of our minds to alcohol and drugs·ut the problems don't disappear. In fact, we make many of them worse! And we endanger our health and our lives in the process.
If I were the Devil, and I wanted to make Christians destroy the bodies and minds that God had given them, you know what I'd do? I'd make each man or woman think they were responsible for everything that happened in the whole world. I would get them worrying about how to make other people behave. They'd worry about turning their children into perfect people. They'd take work home with them from the office, never let their minds take a break from all their concerns. World politics would keep them upset; they'd lie awake at night worrying about what was going to happen to the world in which we live. Soon they'd be under so much stress from all that worrying that they would begin to destroy themselves! They wouldn't be able to eat, sleep, laugh or play without worrying at the same time. Headaches, stomachaches, frequent illness, sadness and despair would be the result. In fact, many would simply worry themselves to death!
Those illustrations lead us to the questions we must ask in this lesson: How does a Christian take good care of his or her own body and mind? Why should we look for the best way to take care of ourselves? Why not eat what we like, as much as we like, and forget about the consequences? Why not drink, smoke, use drugs, and let the doctor worry about the results? Let's eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die!
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