“Godliness Is Profitable for All Things.”

“Godliness Is Profitable for All Things.”

Therefore it also improves our health! Proverbs 14:30 reads like this: “A sound heart is life to the body, but wrath is rottenness to the bones.”

Consequently, a sound heart strengthens the body, whereas wrath and anger damage the body. Research has proved that food is not properly digested when a person is mad. All sin is damaging. Not only does it damage our mind, it also damages the health of our body.

Sirach says, “Care brings old age before the time.” Ch. 30. In other words, the common sins shorten your life. The Scriptures tell us that we should not fear anything at all in this world except to displease God.

Fear has a ruinous effect on the heart. Rest in God is particularly healthy for heart and nerves and sleep, as is a good conscience.

Discouragement and hopelessness are obviously very unhealthy! The word that “the fear of the Lord prolongs days” is not written in vain. Prov. 10:27.

“Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble.” Prov. 15:16. A little amount of earthly things together with the fear of God is healthy and good. Much of earthly things and corresponding unrest is definitely unwholesome and is therefore an extra burden on a person’s health.

Being a busybody in other people’s matters is the cause of unnecessary cares and worries. Sirach says in Chapter 30 that such [unnecessary] cares have destroyed and killed many; those are truthful and plain words. In any case, being a busybody is harmful even in the slightest amount.

By continually overdoing it, a person simply attacks his health, and unfortunately it happens that great damage is sometimes caused in this way.

And what shall we say about gluttony, about “excess at the table” (instead of “revelries,” Gal. 5:21) as it is called in the French Bible translation.

There is a certain reason why believers almost never speak against this very common sin which is mentioned among the works of the flesh, and which is in the same category as drunkenness! And this, despite the fact that professionals (physicians) often write about how unhealthy and harmful it is. One adage has it that “more people eat themselves to death than drink themselves to death.”

Everything that is unsound is caused by a lack of the fear of God.

“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred.” Prov. 15:17. A dinner of herbs with love: what a delightful meal! How light and contented you feel afterwards! But a fatted calf with hatred! How heavy and sad and unhealthy and harmful that is!

What a comparison!

It pays liberally to obey this exhortation: “Exercise yourself rather to godliness.” 1 Tim. 4:7.