What a SAD Testimony So Many Christians Are Giving to the World

The Narrow Way said:

SongOnTheWind, do you really think HEALTH and WEALTH is in the same category? I do not. People can be very HEALTHY and not WEALTHY in this worlds good, at all.....

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Please read what I wrote. I'm concerned about my soul MORE than I am concerned about my physical wealth or my health. That should not raise any concern.

The Narrow Way said:

SongOnTheWind, do you really think HEALTH and WEALTH is in the same category? I do not. People can be very HEALTHY and not WEALTHY in this worlds good, at all.....

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That brings up a conundrum; why are the poor, those least able to afford poor health...so darned unhealthy? Maybe they are poor because they are unhealthy. Hmmmm?

SongOnTheWind said:

Please read what I wrote. I'm concerned about my soul MORE than I am concerned about my physical wealth or my health. That should not raise any concern.

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John seems to give great weight to health, wealth, and spirit.

3 John 1:2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. That's like winning the trifecta.

OldWiseGuy said:

My point is that it is easier to serve God (by serving others) if you're not lying in a sickbed, or worse if you just don't feel good enough to be about the Lord's work.

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I agree completely. It's easier for us to do our best work when we feel our best. However, God can and does use people when they are not feeling their most optimal. This is not a difficult thing for Him to do. Nothing is too difficult for God. At the end of the day I'd rather be a little inconvenienced by the physical while still obtaining the spiritual, than the other way around.

Jesus does say: if your eye causes you to sin, take it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. Strong words to be sure, and I'd rather enter Heaven completely intact, but if not, I get a new body anyway. Win/win. Even if I lose a physical eye or hand (which I don't plan on doing!)

OldWiseGuy said:

That brings up a conundrum; why are the poor, those least able to afford poor health...so darned unhealthy? Maybe they are poor because they are unhealthy. Hmmmm?

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Interesting

Or are they unhealthy because they are poor?

Good question

SongOnTheWind said:

Interesting

Or are they unhealthy because they are poor?

Good question

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Most get enough food aid to eat a healthy diet. Must be another reason.

OldWiseGuy said:

Most get enough food aid to eat a healthy diet. Must be another reason.

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Sorry, gonna have to agree to disagree there. But that's okay. Be blessed

The Narrow Way said:

I think because they often make bad choices....they are uneducated in many aspects of health...they smoke, drink, do drugs, even though they are poor financially....and have no money for healthy things.

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So, the poor are poor by choice?

You know what, I think the thread is getting derailed a little, lol. Would be interesting to discuss in another thread, though

SongOnTheWind said:

Please read what I wrote. I'm concerned about my soul MORE than I am concerned about my physical wealth or my health. That should not raise any concern.

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If our bodies are the temple of God, then indeed it is a factor in our overall spiritual well-being.

SongOnTheWind said:

Sorry, gonna have to agree to disagree there. But that's okay. Be blessed

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No problem.

pescador said:

Thank you (not) for sharing this Fox News opinion piece from 9 years ago.

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I thought you were a
Christian

SongOnTheWind said:

So, the poor are poor by choice?

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Absolutely. When I smoked, drank, and ruined my health in other ways (also lost my job) it was my choice to do so (however I chose not to use drugs).

Freth said:

If our bodies are the temple of God, then indeed it is a factor in our overall spiritual well-being.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
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I have no arguments there. In fact, it is sin which would pollute the temple, before anything else. Jesus did tell His disciples to concentrate more on what pollutes from the inside out, rather than the outside in. He said not to be overly concerned with ceremonial washing or eating, as the Pharisees were, but more to focus on their thoughts and the issues of their hearts. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and this is what defiles a man.

Absolute agreement. We do need to take care of our temples, our bodies house our souls, and it's our souls that are being saved.

OldWiseGuy said:

Absolutely. When I smoked, drank, and ruined my health in other ways it was my choice to do so.

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But that's your personal experience. Is that every single poor person's experience? Not to be argumentative, or go against what you personal have gone through, but I don't know that it's always that simple.

Could be wrong, though. I don't consider myself rich, but I know there's stuff I don't have access to, that if I had the access to, I'd be better off. But because I can't afford it, I don't have it. At the same time, I am more blessed than I deserve, and though it would be nice to be more comfortable physically, I'm so glad that by God's grace, I'm no worse than I absolutely could be if I chose not to depend on Him.

I hope you can understand what I'm saying, and the spirit in which I am saying it

SongOnTheWind said:

But that's your personal experience. Is that every single poor person's experience? Not to be argumentative, or go against what you personal have gone through, but I don't know that it's always that simple.

Could be wrong, though. I don't consider myself rich, but I know there's stuff I don't have access to, that if I had the access to, I'd be better off. But because I can't afford it, I don't have it. At the same time, I am more blessed than I deserve, and though it would be nice to be more comfortable physically, I'm so glad that by God's grace, I'm no worse than I absolutely could be if I chose not to depend on Him.

I hope you can understand what I'm saying, and the spirit in which I am saying it

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Solutions are generally quite simple. It's mustering the strength and courage to go down a better path that is often difficult.

It must be stated that the poor usually don't remain so. Today's poor are tomorrow's middle class, replaced however by a new group of poor. Poverty remains but the faces change. "The poor (as a class) are always with you.") Your material condition will likely be much different, hopefully better, in the years to come.

SongOnTheWind said:

So, the poor are poor by choice?

You know what, I think the thread is getting derailed a little, lol. Would be interesting to discuss in another thread, though

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When I was poor, I ate cheap calories like snack cakes, french fries, potato chips, hot dogs, chicken etc. It was more a thing of ignorance than poverty. Using free sources online, I found nutrition articles to help me plan better meals. I was healed of kidney stones, lost weight and lowered my heart rate. Poverty is not a sin in and of itself. Making bad choices is an error. Some bad choices led to poverty as in the case of the prodigal son who wasted his inheritance with prostitutes (Luke 15:29-30).

I don't think being poor is automatically synonymous with poor health. Malnutrition, maybe, but if your parents take the time to feed you properly, you will grow up healthy as an ox. I grew up poor and I turned out just fine—because my mother and her grandmother before her knew how to feed us healthily. Also, much thanks to our church for the knowledge of vegetarianism. A poor person can thrive on a vegetarian diet with little to no money, so that isn't an excuse in my view. Other factors are at play.

Freth said:

I don't think being poor is automatically synonymous with poor health. Malnutrition, maybe, but if your parents take the time to feed you properly, you will grow up healthy as an ox. I grew up poor and I turned out just fine—because my mother and her grandmother before her knew how to feed us healthily. Also, much thanks to our church for the knowledge of vegetarianism. A poor person can thrive on a vegetarian diet with little to no money, so that isn't an excuse in my view. Other factors are at play.

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I grew up poor as well, but we ate good. Of course we didn't have to decide between eating or paying the cell phone bill.

OldWiseGuy said:

Solutions are generally quite simple. It's mustering the strength and courage to go down a better path that is often difficult.

It must be stated that the poor usually don't remain so. Today's poor are tomorrows middle class, replaced however by a new group of poor. Poverty remains but the faces change. "The poor (as a class) are always with you.") Your material condition will likely be much different, hopefully better, in the years to come.

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Again, I'm not sure I agree that it is that simple. Either way, I'm glad you're doing better than you were. God is good.