Health can be defined as the level of metabolic efficiency of a human being.  In this course, we talk a lot about the form and function of God as it relates to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Understanding the form and function of God allows us to walk in this world with balance.  God the Father is not God the Son.  God the Son is not God the Holy Spirit.  God the Spirit is not God the Father.  They are independent of each other, but they are also dependent upon each other.  Man approaches God the Father when God the Holy Spirit touches that man's spirit and he accepts God the Son as the way, the truth and the life to God.  When a man prays, he goes to God the Father by way of his Messiah, Jesus or God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit interprets the spirit of the man to God.  That is the form and function of God. 

Today we will talk about the form and function of living a healthy life.  Just like understanding the form and function of God helps us walk in our spiritual life, understanding the form and function of our bodies will help us in our physical walk.  Being healthy is all about living a balanced lifestyle.  God cares about the physical side of man just like He cares about the spiritual side of man.  The key is to recognize the priority of things in this life.  Some people get out of balance with good things like exercise and nutrition and it becomes a god to them. 

Keep life balanced.  Open your bibles to . . . 

Matthew 15:1-20
1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 
2 "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." 
3 And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.'
5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,"
6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7 You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.
9 'But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'"
10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, "Hear and understand.
11 It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
12 Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?" 
13 But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.
14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.  And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
15 Peter said to Him, "Explain the parable to us." 
16 Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also?
17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
18 But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
20 These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

The Jews of Jesus time were spiritually out of balance.  They were teaching the precepts of men as the doctrines of God.  They were wrong.  They were out of balance.  They were very religious, but they were self-righteous resting on the tradition of the elders instead of seeking the mercies of the Living God.  The method of worship in the temple was aimed at making a man humble before God.  They turned it around to raise themselves up above other men such as the widow, the orphan, the poor and the lame.  What about you?  Does you position at church lend itself to puff up your ego?  Humble yourself and allow God to raise you up as you lift up His name.

The argument can be made that Christians should live like Jesus lived.  Jesus was a Jew who observed all the laws of the nation as given by Moses.  I am reminded that Jesus went first to the nation of Israel and then He went to the world.  We are told that Jesus' parents observed the law in Luke 2:21-24, 2:39 and observed Passover in 2:41.  Jesus observed the Holy Days as recorded in Matthew 26:17-19 and John 7:37.  In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus says He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.  So should Christians follow the dietary laws as outlined in the Law of Moses?

Keep life balanced.  Open your bibles to . . . 

Jeremiah 7:1-11
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 
2 "Stand in the gate of the Lord's house and proclaim there this word and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!'" 
3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 
4 Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.' 
5 For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, 
6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, 
7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 
8 "Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. 
9 Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, 
10 then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered!'-that you may do all these abominations? 
11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight?  Behold, I, even I, have seen it," declares the Lord. 

The words from Jeremiah could fit perfectly into the gospels during the time of Jesus.  Jeremiah ministered between 650 b.c. and 582 b.c. before the seventy years of judgement when the southern kingdom was taken into capitivity in 586 b.c.  179 years earlier the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen.  Remember Daniel was reading the writings of Jeremiah while he was in capitivity in Babylon.

Notice the religious leaders from Matthew 15 came to Jesus talking about the religious acts invented by men.  Jesus tells them to get back into balance.  That is what Jeremiah is saying to Judah.  The tradition of the elders does not hold any truth from God because it was created by man for the benefit of man.  Be very careful in your religion because this is true today just like it was true 2,000 years ago.  Men create systems of worship to elevate themselves to the status of deity when they refuse to come to Jesus as a sinner.  Religion did not come from God, but it is the precepts of men.  God provided a method of worship by way of the tabernacle, the temple and then Himself.  Notice verse nine where Jesus talks about the Pharisees teaching as doctrines of God the precepts of men.  You have the bible just like every other man on this planet.  Search and learn the doctrines of God so that you are not led astray by blind guides teaching the precepts of men.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and slanders.  These are the spiritual 'unclean' things to avoid.  They are in the heart of man and we must learn to identify and eliminate them as they arise.  The same is true for the physical 'unclean' things to avoid.  We could state it like this; 'For out of this life come cancer, childhood diseases, diseases caused by insects, foodborne illness, illnessess related to poor nutrition, genetic disoders, human parasitic diseases, infectious diseases, viral infections, mental illness, neurological disorders, skin-related conditions, etc.'. 

John 2:18-22
18 The Jews then said to Him, "What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?" 
19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
20 The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 
22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. 

Mark 11:15-18
15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 
16 and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 
17 And He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'?  But you have made it a robbers' den."
18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. 

The temple was the focal point of worship for the nation of Israel.  The temple replaced the tabernacle as the house for the articles of worship. The method of worship remained the same.  The physical house changed form from a tent to a building.  As a Christian, Jesus is our focal point of worship.  The physical house changed form again from the building to his body.  The method of worship remained the same.  A Jew approached God by way of a sacrificial lamb.  Then the priest would wash to enter into the light and bread of life in the Holy Place.  But a veil kept the Jew from the presence of the Living God.  As a Christian, the veil is gone and we have access to the Living God by way of our High Priest and Lamb, Jesus, to enter into His presence.

The Jews could not see past the physical and understand the spiritual references Jesus was making about the method of worship.  I want to make sure you see what they could not.  As a Christian, you have access to the Holy Spirit of the Living God by way of Jesus.  If you do not understand, ask Jesus.  He is the way, the truth and the life.  He said if you ask anything, He would give it.  He was referring to spiritual things like this and not physical stuff like cars and money. Ask and you will receive.  Believe and you will be saved. 

Just as we must take steps to eliminate the spiritually unclean things from our lives, we must also take steps to eliminate the physically unclean things from our lives.  That involves food and exercise.  We will open God's Word and see what God says about living a healthy life.  It has been my experience that balance in life is the most important area for me to focus on to keep my walk healthy. 

Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy chapter 14 details a list of clean and unclean animals for the nation of Israel.  It is easy to jump on that list and declare that all these things are LAW and these are our food source.  But wait, look at the first part of verse 21 in Deuteronomy 14. 

Deuteronomy 14:21
"You shall not eat anything which dies of itself.  You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to the Lord your God.

Does God loves the Israelite more than the alien or the foreigner?  No, God choose the Israelite for a specific purpose (to bring about the Messiah) for a specific time (resurrection of Jesus from the dead).  God was trying to teach the Israelite how to discern good from bad.  Think about Jacob and Esau.  God choose Jacob and did not choose Esau.  Consider what they both represented.  Jacob became a spiritual man who had his named changed to Israel by God, but only after Jacob removed the sin of idolatry from his family. 

Esau represented the physical man.  Esau was described as a hairy man.  I relate to Esau because I am a hairy man and I struggle with my flesh on a daily basis.  I must resist the physical (Esau) and seek the spiritual (Israel) to keep balance in my life with Jesus.  During the wilderness journey, God told the Israelites that they were not allowed to place one foot on a certain mountain because God gave it to the descendants of Esau.  Esau came to God as an adult and God loved Esau although most people remember when God said He hated Esau in the womb.  It was nothing personal, but what Esau represented. 

Our discussion of health could go very detailed into the physical such as how the metabolic efficiency of a man describes the relationship between how fat and carbohydrates go through the process of oxidation across a variety of exercise intensities.  We could go that deep into the chemical breakdown, but for this lesson we will stay on the surface to make the discussion more widely interactive.  We could go very spiritual in our discussion by evaluating the temple of our body in relation to our mind and walk.  Again, balance is the key.  We could spend time discussing the benefits of a Jewish kosher diet.  So, we will focus our discussion on health as it relates to our daily walk as Christians and we will reference the physical and spiritual aspects of health as it relates to the fundamentals of life. 

Open your bibles to . . .

Acts 10:9-20
9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 
10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; 
11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 
12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. 
13 A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!" 
14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean." 
15 Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." 
16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky. 
17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate; 
18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 
19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. 
20 But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself."

It was lunch time and Peter had a vision from God.  Notice that Peter went to the housetop to pray while others were preparing lunch.  This was not a dream, but a visual display of what God wanted Peter to understand.  I have often wondered if this is how God gave Moses the stories from Genesis.  I have often wondered why three.  The vision is shown three times.  Three men looking for Peter.  Moses told Pharaoh three days journey to sacrifice to the Lord.  Abraham and Isaac go the the mountain on the third day.  Jesus raised on the third day. 

Did you notice the phrases 'the Spirit said to him' and 'for I have sent them'?  Did you notice that the animals were not identified, but Peter declares that they are unholy and unclean.  We do not know what animals were represented, but this was a very big deal to a Jew.
With that said, we need to back up and start at the beginning. 

Acts 10:9-20 is showing Peter that Gentiles are accepted by God.  So do we intrepret the passage as to referring to food or to people?  In Acts 10:45 it tells us that the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

Acts 10:25-28
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." 
27 As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. 
28 And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

Acts 10:44-48
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 
45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 
46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 
47 "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" 
48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. 

Acts 11:1-18
1 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 
2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 
3 saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." 
4 But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 
5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, 
6 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. 
7 I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' 
8 But I said, 'By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 
9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' 
10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. 
11 And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 
12 The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man's house. 
13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, 'Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 
14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' 
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
17 Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" 
18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life." 

I do not think Peter started eating unclean food after this experience.  I do think he recognized that God is saving Gentiles.  So I can not use these passages to justify a Jew turning from biblical dietary laws.  I also do not see any commands for a Gentile to adopt Jewish dietary laws.  Notice that Peter says in Acts 10:14 and 11:8, that Peter says that he has been keeping the Jewish laws concerning food.

In Acts 15, after a sect of Christian Pharisees declared that Gentiles should be circumcised and commanded to observe the Law of Moses, the Council at Jerusalem declared that Gentiles should abstain from things contaminated by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood.  Are Christians commanded to keep dietary laws?  No.  Could a Christian benefit from living by the dietary laws?  Yes. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 1:27-30
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 
28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 
29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 
30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

Did you notice that not only was man given every plant yielding seed and every tree with fruit yielding seed as food, but every beast and every bird was given every green plant for food.  This opens more questions than answers such as what about the vulture or the tiger or the shark or the shrimp.  I do not know these answers.  All I know is that God said it and I accept it.  If man disagrees with God, I choose to agree with My Creator who designed and organized all things. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 2:5-9
5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 
6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 
7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 
8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 
9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

Genesis 2 is God giving man a different viewpoint of creation.  Again, we see plants and fruit trees are designated for food.  Notice the reference to rain and God's solution by sending a mist.  When did rain start falling and the mist stop?

Couple other points that we can not pass by without addressing.  First, man has the breath of God making him a living being.  God never did this for the puppy dog or the kitty cat or any other animal on the face of the earth.  Man is unique to all creation because that is how God choose to do it. Man is made in His image.  A dolphin or a horse might be very smart and show personality, but they are a creature.  Man is made in the image of the Living God.  God loves his creation which includes the puppy dog, the cat, the horse and the dolphin.  When God gave us the rainbow as a sign of His covenant that He would not flood the earth again, He gave the rainbow to all the animals as well as to man.  God loves His creation and I think it broke His heart to flood the earth.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 2:15-17
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 
16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 
17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." 

What does cultivate and keep the garden mean?  Does God intend man to work?  God gives man freedom and with freedom comes responsibility.  Remember last week when we discussed the cycles of independence, disobedience, failure and repentance.  Independence is freedom.  You must choose to submit to God.  You must choose to work.  You must choose to be responsible. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 

Genesis 3:17-19
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.
18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field;
19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

Ladies do not get mad at me, but we will talk very frankly about Adam listening to the voice of Eve.  Adam was given the responsibility and he watched as the command he was responsible to uphold was broken.  Not only broken, but he observed and participated.  Then Adam tries to blame God because God gave him Eve.  Things have not changed much as far as men are concerned.  Well, except now we all have access to the Holy Spirit of the Living God made possible by Jesus our Messiah.  But first, we must submit and walk.

Women and men are so very similar and, at the same time, we are so very different.  My wife makes our home a very pleasant place to live because of her sense of color, decor and order which I do not possess.  Her responsibility is not to lead our family, it is mine.  She will not be held responsible to the Living God for my failure to lead our family, it is mine.  I know as a man, that I can not do it.  I need God.  When I walk in my flesh, I fail. 

Adam should have chosen God over Eve, but Adam deferred to her because she was different than him.  Different does not mean better.  Think about race relations.  Different does not mean better.  We, as men, must stand up and lead our families by choosing God over Eve.  We, as men, must understand we are responsible to the Living God for our families.  Not because we are better, but we are different.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 16:2
So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 

Genesis 16:9-11
9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority." 
10 Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count."
11 The angel of the Lord said to her further, "Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.

This is a little rabbit trail from the main topic, but as you can see it relates to Abram. He did the same thing Adam did except it involved a young hand maiden.  I want you to notice that God is in control even when man is walking in disobedience.  God tells Hagar to submit to Sarai.  That was her job.  God not only tells Hagar that He will make a multitude of descendants from her child, but God is the one who picks out the baby name. Ishmael is the name God choose.  Remember Ishmael is a Hebrew just like Isaac, Jacob and Esau because his father was a Hebrew. Only Jacob is the Israelite which God created for His purposes to bring in the Messiah to the world.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 3:22-23
22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"- 
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 

Genesis 4:2
Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel.  And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 

Genesis 6:21-22
21 As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them." 
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. 

I want us to see from scripture, that the tree of life is actually a tree.  It could be eaten.  Also, notice the reference that man is to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.  Eve was taken from Adam not the ground.  This is a reference to Adam. 

Abel was a keeper of flocks.  People are not eating meat at this time, so flocks must have been used for sacrifice and clothing.  God gave every tree with fruit yielding seed and every plant yeilding seed as food.  Cain was a tiller of the ground.  He is also the first murderer who buried his brother in the ground from which his father was taken. 

God tells Noah to collect all food which is edible for you and them.  That tells us that some plants and some trees were not edible.  The 'them' referred to, does that include Noah's family and all the animals brought on the boat?  Yes, all living creatures on the boat ate plants and fruits. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 9:1-3
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 
2 The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. 
3 Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.

Now, we have a shift.  First, the animal kingdom now has a fear and terror of man.  Which means that they did not prior to the flood.  Could you have had a pet lion or pet bear since they ate plants and fruits prior to the flood?  Ask God when we get to heaven.  Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you.  It was not until the nation of Israel that God qualified which foods are good to eat and which are bad as it related to the nation.  Remember, Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteromony chapter 14 details the lists of clean and unclean animals for the nation of Israel.  Remember verse 21 in Deuteronomy 14 where God says if an animal dies, you can give it to the alien or sell it to the foreigner.  What is the purpose of these clean and unclean lists if it does not apply to all men? 

Some of the dietary laws and food preparation regulations from Leviticus and Deuteronomy are very beneficial.  For example, the laws regarding how to slaughter and prepare an animal are so sanitary from the Torah that kosher butchers and slaughterhouses have been exempted from many USDA regulations.  At the same time, scientists have not found a reason why camel meat or rabbit meat are any less healthy than cow meat or goat meat. 

Some suggest that the specific animal prohibitions are instead derived from environmental considerations instead of food healthyness.  For example, a camel (which is not kosher) is more useful as a beast of burden than as a source of food.  In the Middle Eastern climate, the pig consumes a quantity of food that is disproportional to its value as a food source. 

Some suggest that the dietary laws are designed simply as a call to holiness for the nation of Israel.  Maybe God was using these dietary laws to teach the Israelites how to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, pure and defiled, the sacred and the profane.  Imposing rules on what you can and cannot eat ingrains that kind of self control, requiring Jews to learn to control even the most basic, primal instincts.  A Jew who observes the laws cannot eat a meal without being reminded of the fact that he is called by God to be holy.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 9:20
Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. 

Genesis 19:32
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father." 

Genesis 14:18
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 

So, Noah was a farmer.  Farming is not a typical association we have with Noah, but we also see that he had a vineyard. And yes, we all know the story where Noah got drunk.  And yes, we also all know the story of Lot's daughters when they got Lot drunk.  So is drinking wine bad?  As Paul mentioned, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.  Personally I might have a glass of wine with dinner, but getting drunk is bad.  If you have a chemical weakness for wine and anything else that makes you loose self control, then stay away from that substance.  You need to watch yourself because only you can monitor your weaknesses. 

Melchizedek was a priest of God and He brought bread and wine to Abram.  Some would argue that Melchizedek was Jesus before He came to earth as the Son of Man.  I tend to agree.  Jesus turned water into wine.  Some would argue that the wine mentioned was just grape juice.  I think the bible would have said grape juice if it was unfermented because these are two very different liquids from the same source.  Unleaded gasoline and diesel both come from the same source, but they are two very different fuels.  Responsibility and independence demand submission to God or you risk falling into disobedience.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 18:6-8
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes." 
7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 
8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate. 

Below are the general rules for a Jew to be kosher. 
1. Certain animals may not be eaten at all.  This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals. 
2. Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law. 
3. All blood must be drained from meat and poultry or broiled out of it before it is eaten. 
4. Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten. 
5. Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be inspected for bugs (which cannot be eaten) 
6. Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals) cannot be eaten with dairy.  Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy. (According to some views, fish may not be eaten with meat). 
7. Utensils (including pots and pans and other cooking surfaces) that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy, and vice versa.  Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food may not be used with kosher food.  This applies only where the contact occurred while the food was hot. 
8. Grape products made by non-Jews may not be eaten. 
9. There are a few other rules that are not universal. 

Consider rule #6 with Genesis 18 and think about who ate the food.  This food was prepared for the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) and the two angels who rescued Lot and his family.  The server was Abraham.  This was prior to the establishment of these dietary laws, but obviously it is not a health issue or a spiritual issue or it would not have been accepted or prepared as a meal.

Open your bibles to . . .

Genesis 19:3
Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 

Notice who is eating.  These are angels having lunch with man.  You might want to reconsider any ideas that angels have wings.  Angels can eat lunch.  Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels are ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Luke 24:40-45
40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 
41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 
43 and He took it and ate it before them. 
44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 

Jesus was hungry.  Jesus ate the broiled fish.  John 21 describes a scene after His resurrection, where Jesus had fish over the fire and bread waiting on the disciples while they were fishing in their boats.  This account says they caught 153 fish.  I always wondered why give the exact number of fish in this account.  My old pastor went to this lake about ten years ago.  During his visit, he was told that marine biologists just completed a survey of the lake and found 153 different species of fish live in that specific body of water.  Interesting.

Open your bibles to . . . 

John 6:47-58
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."
52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" 
53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.
54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.
58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."

John 6 opens with Jesus healing the sick.  Then He feeds the crowd.  5,000 men plus women and children feed with five barley loaves and two fish.  They gathered twelve baskets of left overs.  Both the healing and the feeding were signs for the people that Jesus was sent from God.  After Jesus said this statement above, all the people left Him except the twelve.  Why?  After the feeding of the 5,000, the twelve saw Jesus walking on the water three to four miles out in the sea during a storm. 

I have spoken to people who do not understand God.  Join the club.  To those we must say what Peter said when Jesus asked if the twelve would also leave Him.  Peter said in John 6:68-69, 'Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have words of eternal life.  We have believed and have come to know the You are the Holy One of God.' 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Psalm 78:19-29
19 Then they spoke against God; They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 "Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also?  Will He provide meat for His people?"
21 Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel, 
22 Because they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;
24 He rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven.
25 Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.
27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28 Then He let them fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were well filled, And their desire He gave to them.

God wants to give you the desire of your heart.  Is your desire to know the Lord?

Open your bibles to . . . 

Romans 14:12-23
12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. 
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. 
14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 
15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 
16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 
18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 
19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 
20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food.  All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 
21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 
22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.  Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 
23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. 

1 Corinthians 6:9-15
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.  All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 
13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them.  Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 
14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?  May it never be! 

1 Corinthians 8:8-9
8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 
9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 

1 John 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 
 
 

Above is the original lesson that I taught in prison.  This section is being written a few years after my retirement from prison ministry because I have experienced a remarkable personal transformation that I wanted to share.  About four months ago I had a blood test at my local doctor's office.  At that time I was overweight.  Controlling my weight has always been a struggle for me.  Well, the blood test showed that I was on the edge of becoming diabetic.  My lovely wife freaked out and our weight loss journey began.

While visiting a family member in the hospital, my cousin had a book titled "Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman.  This was not a diet, but a change in how you approached food.  You only ate food with a high nutrient-per-calorie ratio.  I have heard over the years that if a person could eliminate all white sugar, all white flour, all dairy and all cheese from their diet that the weight would just fall off.  Easier said than done, but that is the basic premise of this program.  After looking it over, we were off on this new life journey.

Four months later I am forty-five pounds lighter and feel great.  My starting weight was 260 pounds (plus).  My weight today is 215 pounds.  Starting glucose level was 130 (high).  The preferred range is between 65-99 mg/dl.  Glucose four months later is 91 and dropping.  No more worries about becoming a diabetic.  That is what a nutrient density eating program can do for you. 

Below is a picture of me before my weight loss teaching inside prison. 

I never wanted to be overweight.  Over time, the weight just kind of snuck up on me and then one day my doctor says that I am pre-diabetic.  What happened?  Life, but I just never stopped to really consider what I was eating.  The truth is that I actually eat more food now at 215 than I did when I weighed 260.  The key is that I am eating the right foods now such as salads, peppers, celery, tomatoes, onion, olives, peas, black eyed peas, green beans, okra, black beans, bananas, strawberries, mango, pineapple, blueberries, etc. 

I eliminated all white sugar, all white flour, all milk and all cheese from my diet.  Remember, people who are overweight do not want to be heavy.  Like me, they might be caught in a cycle of eating the wrong things without realizing that these bad foods block any weight loss efforts. Bad foods actually increases your chances of developing diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.  Looking back I feel like I was poisoning myself with toxic foods such as burgers, fries, ice cream, pizza, bagels, etc.  The typical American diet. 

My taste buds have changed so much that I do not even want dressing on my salads.  Imagine that.  It amazes me that I can actually taste the difference between various types of lettuce now.  Fruits and vegetables are the most delicious food on this planet.  It was like I had never really appreciated just how tasty natural produce was to eat.  Now I know that my old diet was so covered in salt and sugar that I did not even realize that I had lost my sense of taste.  My dad really noticed my weight change, but what really got him amazed was the amount of food I am eating while losing weight.  It is not how much you eat, but what you eat.  Eliminate all the refined sugars and refined flour and eat as much salad, vegetables and fruit as you want.  I like to eat.  Always have, but now I watch what I eat.

My skin has improved.  I had a beard for over 26 years because I did not like to shave.  Shaving meant facial cuts.  Not anymore.  Since I have changed my food intake, I rarely nick my face while shaving.  My color and complexion have improved.  What is even more amazing is that this fifty-one year old redneck is even talking about skin complexion.  That is how much my skin has improved in four short months.

My knees and ankles always hurt prior to my weight loss.  Over the years I have torn various ligaments in my knees and ankles playing sports.  Now, most of that pain is gone.  Looking back, I think most of it was just inflammation in the joints caused from the food that I was eating.  Yes, the weight reduction does help, but the pain from inflammation is different.  I still hear a clicking sound from one knee while walking down my stairs, but I was causing my own distress by what I was eating.  I was causing my own joint inflammation without realizing it.

My diet these past four months has been simple. 
Breakfast is either a fruit smoothie or oatmeal with blueberries and flaxseed.  The fruit smoothie does NOT have fruit juice or milk.  My favorite smoothie includes a banana, kale salad, spinach salad, pineapple and mango with unsweetened almond milk and water.  The oatmeal is steel cut oats only.  Use blueberries and walnuts to add flavor.
Lunch is simply a salad with a side of beans.  I can now make the world's greatest salad with olives, garlic, onions, cucumbers, celery, peppers, carrots using a wide variety of different types of lettuce.  Stay away from salad dressings and make sure your beans do not have any salt.  You can mix up the variety every day for a new flavor.  Lunch is topped off with a super tasty fruit smoothie. 
Dinner is a small salad with as many vegetables as you can eat.  Just avoid the added refined sugars in vegetables from restaurants.  They sneak sugar and salt in their vegetable dishes to make them more tasty to the overweight general public.  That is not you now.  End your day with another fruit smoothie.  The concept is that your body will find your healthy weight and you will stop losing excess pounds. 

Make up your mind and stick to the plan.  Each day you should notice changes in either your weight or how your clothes fit.  That was all the motivation I needed to stay the course.  Remember, small holes sink big ships.  Do not snack.  Do not cheat.  You can do it.

The book "Eat to Live" has a lot of really good information, but frankly it is not an easy read.  The testimonies kept me going for the first couple months as I muscled through the chapters.  Below are some highlights from the book that I wanted to share.

A person is considered obese when more than one third of their body is made up of fat.

Health = Nutrients / Calories ( H = N / C ) is a concept called nutrient density. 

The main principle of the book "Eat to Live" is that you must consume a diet with a high nutrient-per-calorie ratio.  All calories come from only three elements: carbohydrates, fats or proteins.  Most of the calories from meat come from the fat while most of the calories from green vegetables come mostly from protein.  The cow did not eat another cow to form the protein in its muscles, which we call steak.  The cow ate grass.  Broccoli has more protein than steak if you base the comparison on 100 calories of each.

75 percent of all Americans are overweight.  The typical American diet gets 90% of their calories from refined processed foods and animal products.  The typical American diet is severely deficient in plant-derived nutrients.  Given enough time, disease will develop.  Even borderline deficiencies can result in subtle health defects which leads us to disease.  Tests have shown that eating a high-nutrient, low calorie plan will prevent chronic illnesses.

Overweight individuals have higher rates of cancer, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc.
- Cancer is much more preventable than treatable.  A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported that men who ate three or more servings of cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli and cabbage) a week had a 41% reduced risk of prostate cancer compared to men who ate less than one serving a week. 
- Heart Disease is basically fat tissue inside your arteries blocking blood flow.  Fat tissue gathers around all your internal organs causing all kinds of problems.  We fool ourselves into thinking that a surgical procedure like angioplasty will fix the problem.  Unless you eliminate the source of the fat from your food intake, you are just buying time until your arteries get clogged back up with fat tissue. 
- Hypertension or high blood pressure is relatively simple to control by eating more fruits, vegetables and legumes.  Medication has a minimal effect in reducing heart attack occurrence in patients with high blood pressure because it does not remove the underlying problem.  Medication just treats the symptoms.
- Diabetes takes time to develop.  It is a nutritionally related disease that is both preventable and reversible.  Diabetes develops when your body has an excessive demand for insulin placed on your pancreas from both refined foods that you eat and increased body fat.  Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults and is the leading cause of kidney failure.  More than 80 percent of adults with Type II diabetes die of heart attacks and strokes.

Most people are overweight not because of how much they eat, but because of what they eat.  Eating large amounts of the right food is your key to success on a nutrient dense eating plan.  You will lose weight eating a nutrient dense plan and once the fat is off your body it will stabilize.  Weight loss requires a diet of predominantly unrefined foods that are nutrient rich and fiber rich.  Regardless of your metabolism or genetics, you can live at a normal weight eating a nutrient dense plan.

Everyone knows that junk foods are not healthy, but few understand the lifetime bad consequences.

Excess protein intake raises IGF-1 levels which are linked to higher rates of prostate and breast cancer.

If your food is not giving you proper nutrients and fiber, your brain will tell your body to eat more food.

Failure to consume sufficient fiber and nutrients is a key factor in people being overweight.  To lose weight people must cut out the refined carbohydrates such as bagels, pasta, and bread.  Eating low-fiber carbohydrates such as pasta are almost as damaging as eating white sugar.  Fiber is a vital nutrient, essential to human health.  High-fiber foods offer significant protection against both cancer (including colon cancer) and heart disease.  High-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables and beans are rich in complex carbohydrates and fibers (both insoluble and water-soluble).  The fibers slow down glucose absorption and control the rate of digestion.

Meat and dairy products do not contain any fiber.  Foods made from refined grains (such as white bread, white rice, and pasta) have had all their fiber removed.  Foods associated with higher risk of disease are generally fiber-deficient.  Healthy, nutritious foods are rich in fiber.

Liquid calories such as fruit juice and other sweet beverages lead to obesity.

Fruit consumption has been shown in numerous studies to offer our strongest protection against certain types of cancers, especially oral and esophageal, lung, prostate, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer.

Researchers have discovered substances in fruit that have unique effects on preventing aging and deterioration of the brain.  Fruits are associated with lower mortality from all cancers combined.

“Enriched” and “Fortified” - Refining foods removes so much nutrition that our government requires that a few synthetic vitamins and minerals be added back.  These are labeled as enriched or fortified.  White rice or “enriched” rice is just as bad as white bread and pasta.  It is nutritionally bankrupt.  You might as well eat the cardboard box because refining rice removes fiber, phytochemicals and vitamin E.

Oils are 100% fat.  Refined or extracted oils, including olive oils, are rich in calories and low in nutrients.  If we biopsied your waist fat, an electron microscope could show you pig fat, dairy fat and olive oil fat.  Olive oil, ounce for ounce, is the most fattening, calorically dense food on the planet (more than butter).  Olive oil contains 14% saturated fat which clogs arteries, heightens the risk of diabetes and heart attack.

One key to your success eating a nutrient dense eating plan is to make healthful salad dressings.  Eat huge salads each day and at least four fresh fruits to lose excess weight and lower blood pressure.  Raw nuts, seeds and avocados contain healthy fats, but while losing weight you must limit the amount.

Potato-heavy diets show a positive association with colon cancer as shown in various studies.

Certain plant foods play a role in protecting the body against diseases that affect – and kill – at least 500,000 Americans each year based upon many large-scale epidemiological studies.  The greater the quantity and assortment of fruits and vegetables consumed, the lower the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.  Raw vegetables and fresh fruits have powerful anti-cancer agents.  Broccoli and cabbage sprouts sweep toxins out of cells.  Nuts and beans prevent damage to our cells’ DNA.  Beets, peppers and tomatoes fight cancerous changes in cells.  Oranges and apples protect our blood vessels from damage that could lead to heart disease.  As a general rule of thumb: the closer we eat foods to their natural state, the healthier the food.

Vitamins, minerals, fibers and phtochemicals are derived from non caloric food factors.

Trans fats do not exist in nature.  They were made in the laboratory.  Trans fatty acids or partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils - if you see these words on the side of a box of food, consider what is inside the box as poisonous and throw it in the trash.

Fish is one of the most polluted foods we eat, and it may place consumers at high risk for various cancers.

Arthritis - The modern diet that most Americans eat which is full of vegetable oils and animal products supplies an excess amount of omega-6 fat.  Too much omega-6 fat will lead to high levels of arachidonic acid which can promote inflammation.

Osteoporosis - Animal-protein ingestion results in a heavy acid load in the blood.  This sets off a series of reactions whereby calcium is released from the bones to help neutralize the acid.  Over time, this continual depletion of calcium reserves is the primary cause of osteoporosis.  Also, excess salt pulls out calcium and other trace minerals in the urine and is a contributory cause of osteoporosis.