Rick Warren's Blog, page 550

Sleep Is God���s Gift

Throughout the day, and when you sleep, your heavenly Father watches over you in love. Sleep is God���s gift, andto accept that gift is an act of trust. He restores your body and energy through sleep.

God���s Unlimited Resources Are Available to You

As you work to become healthier, you may find stress pulling you away from your goals. The problems of everyday life often tempt us to make unhealthy choices out of convenience or as a temporary fix for handling stress.

Think Clearly About What You Eat

When Daniel refused to be defiled by eating the food of King Nebuchadnezzar���s court, he presented the guard with another option: ������Test us for ten days,��� he said. ���Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.��� [The guard] agreed to let them try it for ten days. When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food��� (Daniel 1:12-15 GNT).

Commit to What���s Best and Not Just What���s Good

Many of us believe we can multi-task without limits. However, our brain isn���t a computer; it can���t run different programs simultaneously. When we think we are ���multi-tasking,��� we are actually switching rapidly between tasks. Our attention is divided. That���s why people crash their cars when they try to text and drive.

To Be Healthy, Focus on Today

Notice Matthew doesn���t say, ���Give us today our weekly bread��� or ���Give us today our yearly bread.���

God wants you to trust him one day at a time. You don���t need to be concerned about tomorrow until tomorrow. You don���t need to be concerned about next week until next week.

Stay Healthy By Accepting Others

God accepts us, despite our messy lives, impure motives, and irritating attitudes. One of the ways we reflect God���s love and bring him glory is to accept each other just as he accepts us. This means we accept others��� quirks and look past their faults in order to see a person created in the image of God.

Live a Joy-filled, Generous Life

Many people think the Bible is only filled with commands labeled ���Thou shalt not ������ They assume the Bible is all about restrictions that lead to a boring life.

But God wants you to live a joy-filled, healthy life. Here are two more factors that the Bible says supports good health -

God���s Power for a Healthier You

God never wastes anything. God doesn���t waste the physical resources of water and energy in our environment. He reuses them in multiple ways. God doesn���t waste pain. If you give your pain to him, the Lord will use it to help others.

Make Time for Exercise

One of the ways we train for godliness is by maintaining our physical health. The truth is, your body was not designed for inactivity. God created you to be active. Even a daily walk will make a difference in your physical and spiritual well-being.

We���re Never More Like God Than When We Give

Heart disease is a serious problem in the western world. According to the Center for Disease Control, one in four American deaths are from heart disease.