December 29, 2023 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Hello, Friends! As we are on the verge of a new year, this is a great time to reflect on the past and look forward to the new as we move forward in Christ.
You know, everyone likes to have a new beginning, and perhaps that is why the new year is celebrated so widely around the world. It’s a time for a fresh start as we look to the future. It’s also a time to try new things, change old habits, and make healthy choices.
The new year ahead of us provides just such opportunities, especially when it comes to health.
As Seventh-day Adventists, we have known for a long time about the important connection between mind and body. In 1875, Ellen White wrote:
“Between the mind and the body there is a mysterious and wonderful relation. They react upon each other. To keep the body in a healthy condition to develop its strength, that every part of the living machinery may act harmoniously, should be the first study of our life. To neglect the body is to neglect the mind. It cannot be to the glory of God for His children to have sickly bodies or dwarfed minds” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 485, 486).
Adventist health practices have been noticed around the world and scientific studies have shown that those practicing the Adventist lifestyle of a plant-based diet, regular exercise, abstinence from harmful substances such as alcohol and tobacco, maintaining a healthy body weight, drinking plenty of water and having adequate rest can significantly increase a person’s life expectancy by several years.
Getting off to a good start can go a long way in maintaining healthy habits. And for the next few minutes I would like to share from my own personal experience.
I was fortunate that from childhood, my parents were very careful about living healthfully. I’ve been a vegetarian all my life. Water, rest, and exercise were all important aspects in our family life. I believe it is so important for parents to provide a healthy lifestyle example at home. It will lay a foundation that will last a lifetime.
Throughout my life, I’ve continued to practice what I learned in my early years. I haven’t had any problems being a vegetarian because that is what is most comfortable for me, and because it’s a much healthier way of life. Science has shown that a vegetarian lifestyle provides much more physical stamina and greatly reduces the chances for heart disease and stroke.
When we are at home, Nancy and I eat primarily a plant-based diet. Nancy is such a great cook and has found many ways to provide tasty plant-based meals. This type of diet is easy while at home, but when we travel, we don’t demand to be served a strictly plant-based diet, although we remain vegetarian. There are so many wonderful foods that are available around the world; we’ve found that it is not at all difficult to remain vegetarian.
Exercise is also important. When at home, I try to walk at least 2 or more miles a day. I love to walk, and the Spirit of Prophecy indicates it is the best exercise. Although walking takes longer than jogging or cycling, it’s so easy and you can notice many wonderful things around you as you walk. In addition, I enjoy listening to the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy on my phone while walking.
To find time for devotions and for exercise, it’s helpful to plan ahead to make sure to have time for these important aspects of life. Sometimes, life simply gets too busy. When that happens, it’s helpful to reset your schedule so you don’t miss out on the daily blessings of Bible study, study of the Spirit of Prophecy, prayer, and physical exercise.
Getting enough sleep is also a very important part of good health. When we don’t get enough sleep, it affects us in many ways. This is an area that Nancy and I are always trying to improve. Since we travel a lot, we do lack sleep sometimes. We try to sleep on the airplanes, and we try to quickly adjust to the local time wherever we are.
You know, friends, it is true that the spiritual and physical aspects of life are very much bound up together. It is so important to be mindful about how we live, seeking to glorify God in what we eat and drink, getting adequate exercise and rest, drinking plenty of water, spending time in the sunshine and fresh air, and leaning on Christ each day.
I encourage you to read God’s Word and see how many health blessings are provided in Scripture. You will also be greatly blessed by the wonderful counsel found in books such as The Ministry of Healing, Medical Ministry, Counsels on Health, Counsels on Diet and Foods, and other health-related Spirit of Prophecy books. All these books and more are available for free download at egwwritings.org [Insert: egwwritings.org].
As we submit our lives to the Lord and follow His health laws outlined in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, we will be healthier and happier, all through the power and grace of Jesus Christ. When we live God’s healthy lifestyle through His grace, we will enjoy life to the fullest. Jesus said, in John 10:10, ‘” . . . I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
As we step into a new year, I encourage you to consider how you might be able to experience more fully the abundant life that Jesus offers us today.
I invite you to pray with me just now.
Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us the wonderful provisions of living a healthy lifestyle. Eight Natural Remedies that can give us a wonderful understanding of how to exist in life and live life more abundantly. Help us to get good, adequate rest, to breathe air deeply, to stay away from things that are harmful. To understand that it is important to lean completely on you, to eat the right things, to drink the right things. Lord, we want to be healthy physically, so our minds will also be very attuned to what you have in store for us. Four We know that you deal with us in impressions through the Holy Spirit, through the frontal lobes of the brain, and the brain is part of the body. We need to have a clear mind. So, Lord, give us health physically and spiritually. We thank you for hearing us. In Jesus name, Amen.