OK – the official celebration of Christmas via stuffed turkeys and stuffed meal participants has now passed for most people. Hopefully, the major focus of the celebration was on the birth of Christ. But did you notice this verse?
“An angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.” Matthew 2:13
First, as explained in Luke 2, the government required Joseph and Mary, who was in the late stages of pregnancy, to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered. As the crow flies, that would be 70 miles but more likely the route they traveled would be 90 miles. Yes, folks, “walking” – no cars, trains or buses, remember? Some scholars believe that would be 4-7 days of walking, or at a slow pace perhaps a week and half. Not an easy journey.
Then there is no room in the inn. So the accommodations were not the best – a cave? a barn shelter? And then after 40 days, they traveled (walked – remember?) to Jerusalem to be presented at the temple as required by Moses’ law. OK, that was just 5 miles – whew!
It was a few months before the Magi visited the child Jesus, but as soon as they left, Joseph had the dream quoted in the above verse where the angel appeared and told him to flee to Egypt. Whoa! Though the exact destination is not clear, that is a trip in the opposite direction of their home and at least 3 times as long (yep, walking, or maybe a donkey ride).
So, Joseph followed every direction given to him – stay with Mary even though she is pregnant; name the child Jesus because he is God’s son; be the earthly protector and father and husband guiding and keeping them safe on their travel to and the birth in Bethlehem; and then travel the really long distance to a foreign country (Egypt) for who-knows-how-long. Not easy tasks.
As Blackaby points out, Joseph’s hardship came not because of his sin, but because of his obedience. Joseph was a righteous man who feared God but obeying God forced him to flee for their lives to a foreign country. Not an easy command to obey – but as they did, they remained in the center of God’s will.
As the Christmas holidays came around, with ordering the turkey, making out food lists, people having “cookie baking” days, tons of sugar foods popping up everywhere, I read through the scriptures about the birth events.
Blackaby’s point about Joseph’s obedience caused me to parallel Joseph’s “hardships” with the food onslaught I knew was coming with the holidays. And frankly, the food issue hangs around my consciousness at all times, not just holidays.
I know that eating gluten free reduces my body’s inflammation and aids my digestive system to work better. And my nutritionist has told me my body does not react well to dairy – so I need to avoid it. Plus the holidays with sugar-laden foods presents more items that wreak havoc with my digestive system (and frankly, my will power).
I thought about the energy drain, aches, pains and potential joint replacement I was facing before I started the Youngevity foundational Start Pak years ago, and then learned to change my diet (gluten free and no bad foods as they described them). But….
The consequences did not link immediately with my downing a diet Dr. Pepper or French fries or fudge, etc. But I did know as I learned about the effects of what I was putting in my mouth that consequences would be coming. So I needed help with my obedience in that department – which did also include being consistent with my intake of the Youngevity supplements.
Back to Joseph – his hardship came because of his obedience. Something about that just doesn’t seem fair. But what does God require?
Blackaby nailed it in the Joseph discussion – not becoming discouraged when facing opposition—that opposition may indicate that you are acting in obedience to God. Examine your heart – have you done what you know is needed and trust God to see you through the difficulty?
He shared a helpful thought: “God’s will for you may involve hardship, as it did for His son, Jesus (John 15:20), but He loves you and will not allow you to face more than you are able to handle.”
Trust me….I need a LOT of help in that department.
So I looked further into what the Bible says about stewarding our bodies. Interesting….
We separate the spirit from the body, but scripture says to take care of your vessel.
1Corinthians 6:19-20 says our bodies “are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God…..You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
That sure puts a different spin on it – I had never thought about needing to be careful with what I put into my body because God is the owner of my body – He purchased me. And in the first place, He created me – Genesis 1:27 says He created me in His own image. So I am a steward, really, as opposed to an owner of this body.
It really hit home when one resource I found mentioned that for the last 100 years, we have largely eaten for “taste”. Prior to that time, meals were not guaranteed.
He said today we have an abundance of food – and he also went into the facts that the bread they ate in the Bible is not the same as today’s bread. In detail, he shared that the flour today contains substances that damage the gut, cause weight gain and lead to celiac and auto-immune disorders as well as other diseases. Industry has changed our foods dramatically.
But the most interesting resource I found was Annette Reeder who calls herself the Biblical Nutritionist. This change in her eating helped her lose 60 pounds and reduce inflammation and depression. She described the 3 simple principles she has deduced from her application of scripture to food and eating (and I added a few of her scriptures):
- Eat the food God created for you (she lists them in detail and I noted it does include fish and meat as well as the grain and vegetables)
Genesis 1:29; Ezekiel 16:19; Matthew 15:36
- Eat foods that are “close to His design” which she described in more detail – foods with so many additives and preservatives – she called them “altered foods”.
Romans 1:22; Proverbs 16:25
- Do not let any food or drink become your god (or addiction). Think “chocolate”.
Matthew 6:24
Her summary was, I thought, a wise one. She recommends finding a diet that works for you – one which you don’t have to go on or off – and note how your body responds to the food you eat. She says ask yourself if it is “God-honoring” and if it follows her 3 principles above.
But her “grand finale” was such a bonus for me! It totally supported everything I learned when I started Youngevity supplements and their outlined eating habits. Here’s the quick rendition of her additional diet recommendations:
- All ages need to take at least the 50-60 needed minerals and supplements she lists
- Make sure they are pure – quality is verified, beyond organic with no contaminations
- Good Omega 3 & DHA/fish oil supplement
- Digestive enzymes for gut health
- Vitamin D, Calcium & Magnesium
Her “better” and “best” list added these:
- Prebiotics & Probiotics
- B vitamins (especially B-12), Vitamin E & C
- Fiber (can get from food or supplement)
- Resveratrol
- Milk thistle
Upon hearing her supplement info and explanations, I was delighted to know that everything she mentioned was in the Youngevity Start Pak plus the Synaptiv which I take. And they have so much more that she did not mention. If you remember, Dr. Wallach says there are 90 essential nutrients we need. And, of course, the quality and 3rd party testing are of prime importance (as attested by Dr. Peter Glidden who is Youngevity’s biggest cheerleader).
It is just satisfying to know I am on the right track as affirmed by these other 2 sources. However, I now need to add the accountability or incentive to adhere to my “eating and supplements” plan as a stewarding of my body in a God-honoring way. If you would like to ask more about any of the food and supplements information, or would like to have a partner in the body stewarding to help with accountability, I would love to hear from you. Just set a time to talk HERE
Food and dietary supplement products sold by Youngevity are intended to contribute to the daily diet and overall health and are not intended for use in the prevention, treatment, mitigation, or cure of any disease or health-related condition. Individuals who have or suspect they have an illness or who wish to commence a diet or exercise program should consult an appropriately licensed health care practitioner for a medical history evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and health recommendations.
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