Richard Hollerman

We wonder about the Christian’s physical condition and must ask questions that will help with answers! Of course, we know that there are hundreds, even thousands, of questions many of us ask and some of them are not only for information but also they are serious statements. We don’t merely ask for our inquisitiveness but for objective answers that have a bearing on our relationship with God and others now and in eternity.

I live in the southern part of America now (in Texas) and have contact with many different groups of people. We refer to different ethnicities, different colors, different backgrounds, different ages, both sexes, and different origins. We know and probably most of us know that people from various backgrounds live longer than others. Of course, in this land of various cultures and backgrounds (some from Europe, others from Africa, some from Asia, and others are native-Americans.) We could go on. Some are from Hispanic backgrounds, and others from Middle-east backgrounds, and so forth. Just today, we spoke with a young man who hails from North Africa. Thus, we do have many different physical backgrounds and these relate to our condition.

But, science (a very “slippery” term, I know) tells us that some live longer and others live shorter lives. Experience also tells us this. Some have more health issues, while others have fewer such issues. We don’t merely refer to the use of tobacco (they say that those who smoke one pack a day generally live some 7 years fewer than non-smokers) but what we eat, how we sleep, how much exercise we receive, whether we live a sedentary life or are very active, and what our parentage might be.

We have read that in America, the leading causes of death would be:

Heart Disease

Cancer

Covid-19 (hopefully this is now passe)

Accidents (unintentional injuries)

Stroke (cerebrovascular disease)

Chronic lower respiratory disease

Alzheimer’s disease

Diabetes

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm

 

Let us not forget the issue of drug abuse, especially we discover that there are numerous drug overdoses (both illicit and licit). In fact 106,000 deaths were reported in 2021. (https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates).

We read the following: “Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.”(www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html.) If our math is correct, this would be about 219,000 a year. And this would place “drug abuse” as a leading cause of death. Obviously, nearly all of this would be preventable and are sinful in a measure.

In fact, we must conclude that many of these leading causes of death in America are related to sinful choices and a wrongful lifestyle. And if this is true of America, we wonder about other parts of the world, with some 18 times as many people!

We discover that four years ago the causes of death in the world would be astronomical: According to figures for 2019, we discover.

Ischaemic heart disease

Stroke

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Lower respiratory infections

Neonatal conditions

Trachaea, bronchitis, lung cancers

Alzheimer’s disease

Diarrhoeal disease

Diabetes melitus

Kidney disese

(https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death)

We realize that these are somewhat dated but they are the last figures available. Obviously, much of this is preventable and should be preventable according to what God has presented (although we must realize that some is not).

But we must “wonder”  why it is that some people would choose to live a lifestyle that defies nature and will choose to do that which will shorten his or her lifespan, according to statistics. For example, we know that people with a certain background (we won’t mention which one we refer to here) live shorter lives (I don’t remember how short now, perhaps 7 or 10 or 12 years?). We refer to the general lifespan here, although we know that how one eats, how he exercises, what he does and doesn’t do, and how he spends his life all have a bearing on this.

But, on the average, we would say that if one knew that what I do for 10 years will shorten or lengthen my life, this is something that I would be intensely interested in. We know that Jesus our Lord has said that we can’t add or take away from our length of life here but, generally speaking, we also know that our daily lives should reflect a healthy lifestyle also! (cf. especially Luke 12:25-26; cf. also James 4:14; Acts 17:26; Psalm 31:15; 90:10; 139:16.)

Perhaps we should add that being overweight might also be a health risk that is changeable in some measure. What do we mean by being “overweight” you may ask. Isn’t it true that some weight may be 100 pounds for some and others 200 pounds “by nature”? Yes, this is true and it must be considered, but we are referring to what medical experts may consider overweight or underweight. If one eats and eats until he is “stuffed,” we know that the person still generally becomes heavier and thereby harms his physical being in some measure. Yet, we know that some men and women are 10 or 50 or more pounds overweight through eating too much or eating the wrong types of food (and even eating at the wrong times of the day).

Further, we know that being “overweight” (there’s that word again) by 10 or 50 pounds is one thing at age 20 or 25 and another at age 50 or 60 or beyond. It all depends on many factors!

What can we do about this? Knowledge is one factor that we must keep in mind. We also know that longevity is somewhat related to genetics and this we can do little to change. But we can take better care of our diet and eat better and with much more wisdom. There is a reason why certain countries and cultures are “fatter” (sorry for this term) or more prone to medical issues than others. They say that Mexico (for instance) remains the highest dietary problematic country in the world. The United States is second. Of course, there are hundreds of other nations and they follow suit.

We must explain to our family that our eating or dieting must change if we expect to live longer. We can do nothing to change our background or place of origin, but we can do something that will influence our physical makeup also. Now we must thoroughly remember that we are here on earth for only a brief while. We must all die (Hebrews 9:23) and thus we need to keep eating, and physical activity, and physical exertion, must be kept in mind as we go through life.

We may live a normal lifespan of 70 or 80 years (Psalm 90:10, 12), but then die and go to Hades! (And from there we will be sent to the “lake of fire” described in Scripture. This is not at all what we want or need or deserve! See Revelation 14:10-12; 20:12-14; 21:8.)  And we must keep in mind that many or even most of those who die young (particularly if we have any contribution to this) will die in their sins (John 8:21, 24). We must avoid this at all costs! We must do something now. We must seek God’s will and live accordingly!

And so we do “wonder” about our past, our present, and our future. We wonder about what God’s will might be for us regarding our bodies and our physical nature. We know that God owns us and our bodies (1 Corinthians 4:7; 6:19; James 1:17; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11). He will lead us in the right way. But (and we must know this), most of those who believe that they know God will be sorely disappointed on that Great Day.

Let us live with Him in mind and begin to live resourcefully, wisely, and earnestly for God and His will—regardless of what this may cost.

Recommended resources:

Nutrition Guides for Clinicians (Third Edition)

The Low-Carb Fraud (T. Colon Campbell)

Digestive Tune-Up (John A. McDougall)

Fast Food Genocide (Joel Fuhrman)

The Optimal Diet (Darlene Blaney and Hans Deihl)

Eat to Live Cookbook (Joel Fuhrman)

Forks over Knives

Forks over Knives Family (Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman)

Forks over Knives (The Cookbook). Del Stroufe

The China Study

The China Study Cookbook. LeAnne Campbell

The China Study Family Cookbook. Del Sroufe

We realize that some of these resources are dated and they present one viewpoint, but they are at least worth considering.