Article: A COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CHECK | Benoy J. Thomas
In this day and age, you rarely come across anyone that has not heard of the infamous Hippocrates of Kos. To those of us in the medical field, we call him the Father of Medicine. To this very day, for centuries across the world, a traditional practice followed before any physician steps out into the world to practice his own medicine is the declaration of the Hippocratic Oath, an oath of ethics. I am reminded of an instruction etched in the Hippocratic Corpus, which says “Before you heal someone, ask him if he’s willing to give up the things that make him sick.
Most often, we are all keen to gain things, without any pain or effort. Sacrificing the pleasures of life tends to be a hard thing. The greatest challenge most nutritionist’s face when they get referred to a patient whose Chronic conditions were induced by their lifestyle and diet practices, is in getting them to change those programmed behaviours. Similarly for any human, irrespective of their beliefs and faith, the inclination towards and the struggle against these remain the same – the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). These three pleasures, irrespective of the degree in which it affects each individual, remains a universal battle for the soul, which we call ‘SIN’. But the one remedy that the Scriptures give us, to get the help of our Heavenly Father, can be found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
It is crystal clear what the expectation is to be forgiven and restored. In addition to calling on the name of the LORD, humbling ourselves, praying, and seeking the face of God, we also need to turn from our wicked way. You cannot carry on in your old practices while wanting to be restored. Hence, Paul calls out specifically in 2 Corinthians 5:17 as a clear sign to identify a person in Christ “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
During his time on earth, Christ also specifies this by saying (John 3:3) “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Paul attests to the works of the Holy Spirit by saying (Romans 6:6), “our old self was crucified” and in Galatians 2:20 by saying, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” And if that is true then Galatians 5:24 would stand the test of time wherein, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires,” and so would 1 John 2:15 “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” In short, a person who has been restored and is in Christ desires nothing of this world except to return to Christ as soon as possible, but while on earth to only live for Christ. That’s why Paul was able to boldly say in the book of Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And so did King David confess in Psalm 24:4, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.”
So, please take the time to ask yourself today, have you given up the things of this world? Have you crucified yourself with all your earthly passions and desires, only choosing to live this life solely for God and HIS Kingdom mission?
-ADVERTISEMENT-