Thought for the Day

Maintaining a joyful spirit is like taking a dose of healing medicine. Scientists are beginning to see the Biblical truth that one's mental state affects one's physical state. A negative outlook causes people to succumb to sickness more readily than a positive one. According to many studies, a happy outlook may actually help cardiac patients avoid heart attacks and other health problems, because a hearty laugh causes a small, but fleeting decrease in blood pressure and releases endorphins, which have a pain-relieving and soothing effect upon the body. Some doctors recommend that patients suffering serious illness add laughter to their treatment regimen, advising that they regularly watch comedy shows.

We must not allow Satan to break our spirits; for a broken spirit "dries up the bones." Our bones contain marrow which is vital for a healthy body; it consists largely of blood cells in all stages of development. Red blood corpuscles contain the iron compound, hemoglobin, that gives us strength and energy; white blood cells protect the body from infections and disease; and blood platelets are essential for blood clot formation. New blood cells are released into the bloodstream from the bones every second. Thus, we can see how important our bone marrow is.

If we succumb to the devil's lies and attacks, he can rob us of our joy which can cause the "drying of our bones." In essence, this means it can weaken our immune system, thus affecting all areas of our body, soul (the mind, the emotions, the will), and spirit. We are triune beings, designed to function as a unit. The regenerated spirit should be in control of the soul, with the body in subordination to them. If bodily appetites or emotions control us instead of our quickened spirit, God's order is violated. We function abnormally; that is below our God-given potential. Jesus came as the Great Physician to minister wholeness to His people (Matthew 4:24).

To function properly, we must become "born again" by receiving the Spirit of Life. We will never be whole without this first step. Next, we must ask God to cleanse us, that we might truly love Him with all our hearts. This is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-38). Finally, we need to appropriate the healing Jesus purchased for us. Before dying on the cross, Jesus was lashed with Roman whips which literally tore pieces of flesh from His back. These are the stripes by which we were healed. "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:24; see also Isaiah 53). God wants us to be whole: spirit, soul, and body. We can maintain wholeness by keeping a joyful heart; praising God and enjoying His blessings. Truly, it is like a dose of good medicine that brings healing.