This week's Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies for Life curriculum.
Bible Passages: Romans 9:14-17; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; Ephesians 1:13-14
Discussion Questions:
-- What does Scripture say about our heavenly bodies?
-- How can we maintain a balance between practicing good health habits and obsessing about our bodies and the aging process?
Food for Thought:
We read in 2 Corinthians that our earthly house (our body) will be destroyed (when we die) and that we will have an eternal house (a new body) in heaven. What a glorious thought! Though we strive for health in this life, we will still pass from this life into eternal life with our Savior at which time we'll take on our new bodies.
Knowing this about our eternity, how do we age well in our current bodies? Should we let ourselves go and not worry about health, nutrition or exercise simply because at some point we'll no longer need our earthly houses or should we follow a strict, regimented course of diet and exercise to be in the best physical condition possible until the Lord takes us home?
With regular exercise, good nutrition, good sleep, a healthy mental behavior, good social behavior, conscientious health habits and a relationship with the Lord, we all should be able to live well into our golden years.
James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, a composer known for tunes such as "Memories of You" and "I'm Just Wild About Harry, smoked for 85 years until his death at age 96. He claimed, however, to be 100 years old, and just before he died, five days after his birthday, he told close friends, "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." Isn't that how all of us should live?
Having lost most of his hearing a number of years ago, an elderly man went to the doctor to be fitted with hearing aids which promised to restore his hearing. A month later, he returned to the doctor for a checkup on his progress. The doctor told him that his hearing is perfect and asked if his family is pleased.
The man said, "Oh, I haven't told them about the hearing aids yet. I just sit around and listen to them talk. I've changed my will three times!"
Bible Studies for Life is a life-stage family of resources that addresses key issues in the lives of adults and students. Consisting of seven curriculum lines developed for various life and generational stages plus two others designed for deeper study, all of the resources focus on the same Bible passage for each week. Information about the seven curriculum lines and more information can be found on the Internet at LifeWay.com/BibleStudiesforLife.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at www.LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.
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