20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Verse 20 encourages to pay attention to God's Word - we do that by studying and meditating on Scripture; keeping His Word before our eyes, which will enable His words to penetrate our hearts. Verse 22 describes God's words as "life" and "health." From our hearts flow the "issues of life," in other words, if our hearts are sensitive to and activated by God's Word, then we experience the full life that He has in store for us. But, it doesn't happen by chance - we have to be deliberate in our pursuit of the things of God.
In Psalm 91, we see the importance of devotion to the Lord. God honors our faithfulness, and one of the verses even suggest that could pay dividends in the form of a longer life:
14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."
Yesterday, I offered some comments about longevity of life. And, I believe there are certain steps that we can take that can serve to lengthen our lives. There are also choices that we make that can serve to diminish our time on earth and the quality thereof. Adherence to the Scriptures is an important component.
There is new research that has been released that indicates a relationship between spiritual activity and better health, pertaining to women. FoxNews.com reports on the survey, which suggests that women who attend religious services frequently may live longer than women who don't, new research suggests.
Over a 16-year period, Dr. Tyler J. VanderWeele of Harvard and his colleagues analyzed data collected every four years between 1996 and 2012 from nearly 75,000 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. Most were Catholic or Protestant.
As reported in the Internal Medicine section of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) website, about 14,000 of the women attended religious services more than once a week, about 30,400 attended once a week, about 12,000 less than once a week, and nearly 18,000 never attended.
Women who attended religious services regularly were 33 percent less likely to die during the study period, compared with women who never attended services. Once-a-week attendees were 26 percent less likely to die, and those attending less than once a week were 23 percent less likely to die.
Overall, according to the story, frequent religious attendance was associated with a 27 percent lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 21 percent lower risk of death from cancer. Frequent attendance was also associated with significantly less risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer.
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In Psalm 91, we see the importance of devotion to the Lord. God honors our faithfulness, and one of the verses even suggest that could pay dividends in the form of a longer life:
14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."
Yesterday, I offered some comments about longevity of life. And, I believe there are certain steps that we can take that can serve to lengthen our lives. There are also choices that we make that can serve to diminish our time on earth and the quality thereof. Adherence to the Scriptures is an important component.
There is new research that has been released that indicates a relationship between spiritual activity and better health, pertaining to women. FoxNews.com reports on the survey, which suggests that women who attend religious services frequently may live longer than women who don't, new research suggests.
Over a 16-year period, Dr. Tyler J. VanderWeele of Harvard and his colleagues analyzed data collected every four years between 1996 and 2012 from nearly 75,000 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. Most were Catholic or Protestant.
As reported in the Internal Medicine section of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) website, about 14,000 of the women attended religious services more than once a week, about 30,400 attended once a week, about 12,000 less than once a week, and nearly 18,000 never attended.
Women who attended religious services regularly were 33 percent less likely to die during the study period, compared with women who never attended services. Once-a-week attendees were 26 percent less likely to die, and those attending less than once a week were 23 percent less likely to die.
Overall, according to the story, frequent religious attendance was associated with a 27 percent lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 21 percent lower risk of death from cancer. Frequent attendance was also associated with significantly less risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer.
Dr. Dan German Blazer II from Duke, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study, said, according to Health.com, that “despite the findings, we cannot for certain say that religious belief/practice per se is the actual cause [of longevity].” While stressing the need for more research, he did describe the investigation as “a major contribution” that “provides significantly more reason to believe that there is something about religious belief [and] practice among these women which contributes to protection against dying.”
Every now and then on my radio show, I talk about the relationship between the spiritual and the physical. I believe that the Bible teaches us that we are spirit, we have our souls - our mind, will, and emotions - and we live in the body. Those are not three separate parts, no, they are integrated together. So, if we are growing in our spirits, there is the capacity to affect other areas of our lives. That doesn't guarantee a perfect body or perfect health, but there is Scripture that can support that spiritual growth can affect other areas of our lives.
So, even though the researchers say there is not a certain relationship between church attendance or religious practice and good health, I think that if you factor in the teachings of the Bible, you can make the case that there is a relationship. If we sow to the spirit, the Bible says, we will reap accordingly; conversely, if we are feeding the flesh and engaging in practices that are not good for us, then there will be a detrimental effect. An example: I believe if we are caught up in worry, anxiety, or stress, there is the potential for harmful by-products to manifest themselves physically - and spiritually. God has ordained for us through Christ a way that leads to life, real, abundant life.
Every now and then on my radio show, I talk about the relationship between the spiritual and the physical. I believe that the Bible teaches us that we are spirit, we have our souls - our mind, will, and emotions - and we live in the body. Those are not three separate parts, no, they are integrated together. So, if we are growing in our spirits, there is the capacity to affect other areas of our lives. That doesn't guarantee a perfect body or perfect health, but there is Scripture that can support that spiritual growth can affect other areas of our lives.
So, even though the researchers say there is not a certain relationship between church attendance or religious practice and good health, I think that if you factor in the teachings of the Bible, you can make the case that there is a relationship. If we sow to the spirit, the Bible says, we will reap accordingly; conversely, if we are feeding the flesh and engaging in practices that are not good for us, then there will be a detrimental effect. An example: I believe if we are caught up in worry, anxiety, or stress, there is the potential for harmful by-products to manifest themselves physically - and spiritually. God has ordained for us through Christ a way that leads to life, real, abundant life.
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