Sickness<\/strong><\/em>\u2026is the very opposite to wellness. It seems that doctors are more trained to deal with sickness than to address wellness that might delay or actually prevent any future maladies. I\u2019m grateful for the medical profession in America. What would any of us do without proper medical treatment? Right\u00a0now\u00a0during this pandemic, these men and women are on the front lines daily, risking their lives for those who are ill from the virus or other issues.\u00a0Out of 350 million men,\u00a0women, and children in America today, those who have contracted COVID-19 is nearing 1 million.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a01 person out of every 350. I imagine\u00a0each of us has a circle of\u00a0influence\u00a0that\u00a0equates to 350 or many more.<\/p>\n This physical deadly\u00a0virus\u00a0also impacts us emotionally, economically, and even spiritually.\u00a0It is reported that those who have been practicing wellness in their life probably have a much better chance of either not contracting the virus or recovering\u00a0and not dying.\u00a0This would\u00a0probably prove true\u00a0with\u00a0any\u00a0virus or disease that we might encounter.<\/p>\n God created humans with a\u00a0body, soul, and spirit.\u00a0He\u00a0formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed\u00a0into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.\u00a0He created us in his image. Scripture tells us that God is\u00a0spirit.\u00a0(John\u00a04.24)\u00a0He certainly came\u00a0in\u00a0flesh through Jesus the Christ but that\u2019s the only time. He\u00a0chose\u00a0to redeem us and make us well.\u00a0He gave us a body and a soul so that we could engage him and be filled by him and be made whole\u00a0by\u00a0him.\u00a0It\u2019s like a glove. The glove is designed to be filled by a hand.\u00a0A guitar case is designed in the image of a guitar for the purpose of containing the guitar.<\/p>\n The body, spirit, and soul can all be injured with sickness attacking each part in different ways.\u00a0First,\u00a0we must understand that the body is the physical make-up of man\u2019s being; the soul is the mental make-up\u00a0and\u00a0the power of man\u2019s being that chooses and decides, and the spirit is the eternal existence of man\u2019s being. The soul and spirit of man never die. Both the soul and spirit are eternally existent.\u00a0As I was reflecting on\u00a0this\u00a0I remember Jesus saying\u00a0\u201cAnd do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(Mt.\u00a010.28 ESV).<\/p>\n During this Easter season, looking forward to Pentecost\u00a0it is good to reflect on what we believe. The gospel is, according to Scripture,\u00a0\u201cChrist died for\u00a0our sins\u00a0and rose from the dead\u201d<\/em>.\u00a0As a believer, Christ dwells in\u00a0you\u00a0through the power,\u00a0presence, and person of the Holy Spirit. Our body is decaying and will eventually die but the spirit and the soul will live for eternity as we have been reborn from above through the\u00a0Spirit in the name of Jesus.\u00a0Nothing can harm us as our last enemy has been conquered,\u00a0death.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Therefore, we can rejoice, even in this time of peril.\u00a0I am reminded of the story behind the great hymn,\u00a0\u201cIt is well with my\u00a0Soul\u201d<\/u>.\u00a0Born and written\u00a0by Horatio Spafford,\u00a0a\u00a0very successful Chicago businessman,\u00a0out of unimaginable\u00a0sorrow\u00a0over\u00a0his only son dying,\u00a0and then\u00a0his four daughters dying\u00a0on an ocean cruiser\u00a0with\u00a0only his wife surviving.\u00a0Why was it well with his soul;\u00a0because he had already placed his trust for his\u00a0peace of\u00a0soul in the hands of the\u00a0One who was resurrected for him, and for you and me.\u00a0Don\u2019t wait until\u00a0sickness\u00a0strikes, practice spiritual wellness\u00a0daily.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n “Who is the man who fears the\u00a0Lord? Him\u00a0will he instruct in the way that he should choose.\u00a0\u00a0His soul shall\u00a0abide in well-being, and his\u00a0offspring\u00a0shall inherit the land.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(Psalm 25.12,13. ESV)<\/p>\n We have attached the hymn.\u00a0Listen and\u00a0worship the resurrected Lord.<\/p>\nCreated in God’s image<\/h3>\n
Rejoice in the midst of hardship<\/h3>\n