Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001329A
00:06 It has stood the test of time,
00:11 God's book, the Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for join me today This is It is Writen 00:38 I'm John Bradshaw We all have to eat - and God 00:43 in His goodness has created an enormous variety of food. 00:49 One of the most interesting foods I learned to love is 00:52 durian. It grows in Asia - It's a 00:56 large fruit covered in dull spikes - not the prettiest 00:59 thing you'll ever see. I read where someone 01:01 described the durian as looking like something that 01:04 would dangle from a gladiator's chain. 01:07 The durian is probably best known for its smell - it 01:12 smells... how would you say? 01:15 Okay - there's no delicate way to say it. 01:17 The durian stinks! But if you can get past that 01:21 - and I did, I'm proud to say - you can love it. 01:24 And I do. Now if you don't like durian 01:27 then about the worst thing that can happen is that 01:29 you... don't like durian. 01:31 More for me. But there are some other 01:34 foods people in that are just plain hazardous. 01:38 Dangerous, even. In Japan there's a fish 01:42 that's popular in certain circles called "Fugu". 01:46 It's a pufferfish. Fugu means, literally, "river 01:50 pig" - and maybe for good reason. 01:53 Some say eating this fish is the culinary equivalent of 01:56 playing Russian roulette. Diners pay good money to eat 02:00 this fish, which, if prepared incorrectly, could kill them 02:05 owing to parts of the fish being toxic. 02:08 Fugu served as tempura of sashimi, or baked or added to 02:12 a glass of hot sake, is considered a treat by many. 02:17 Now in Tokyo food authorities are preparing to introduce 02:20 a change to regulations, allowing unlicensed 02:23 restaurants to serve fugu - a move that will make eating 02:27 the fish cheaper but which some chefs say could raise 02:31 the risk for diners. Now there is a safeguard. 02:34 Chefs that serve Fugu have to undertake special 02:36 training which takes about two years before they are able 02:40 to serve it. During this time they are 02:42 taught and then examined on how to remove the poisonous 02:44 parts of the fish. Only 35% of the candidates 02:49 pass the exam. Several people die every year 02:52 after attempting to prepare fugu at home. 02:55 The flesh is safe but other parts, including the liver, 02:58 heart, intestines and ovaries, contain tetrodotoxin, 03:03 which can kill you if it's ingested, even if you 03:07 ingest it in minute quantities. There were 23 deaths among 03:11 338 fugu-poisoning cases recorded in Japan from 03:16 the year 2000 to the year 2009. You're not going to catch me 03:21 eating anything poisonous and potentially lethal. 03:23 I'm guessing you'd probably say the same. 03:27 But what's interesting is that many of us are eating 03:30 foods every day that are potentially lethal. 03:36 Let me tell you about that. A friend of mine told me 03:39 about an article he read online. 03:41 It was in the 'health' section and the article was 03:43 about the dumbest things American eat. 03:48 Here's some of what the article talked about. 03:50 Here is what people eat. Deep fried donuts. 03:54 Not so surprising. Deep fried candy bars. 03:58 Turkey stuffed with a duck that has been stuffed with 04:04 a chicken. Deep fried bacon. 04:08 Squirt on cheese. Fried macaroni and cheese 04:12 balls Scrapple. Scrapple is described as 04:16 scraps of pork boiled with cornmeal and spices until 04:20 it's thick enough to form a loaf. 04:22 After congealing over night, slices of the loaf are fried 04:26 to order. I read about deep friend 04:29 cheese balls being served at a county fair somewhere. 04:33 Well these may bring a bit of a smile to our faces and we 04:36 may well be thinking that's just not quite normal. 04:40 But a restaurant in Las Vegas has attempted to take all 04:42 this to a whole new level. The restaurant is called the 04:46 Heart Attack Grill. There've been other locations 04:49 in the past in Arizona and Texas. 04:51 The management of the Heart Attack Grill has been quoted 04:53 as saying their intent is to serve food "so bad for you 04:57 it's shocking". Waitresses are dressed as 05:00 nurses and customers are referred to as patients. 05:03 Burgers have names like the "Quadruple Bypass" and can 05:06 contain as many as 8000 calories. 05:12 (8000 - the recommended daily calorie intake for men is 05:16 around 2500 and for women it's around 2000. 05:21 8000 is a LOT of calories! Not surprising this thing has 05:26 8000 calories seeing as it comes, with among other 05:29 things, 20 slices of bacon!) There are reduced versions of 05:34 that burger - such as the Single Bypass burger - that 05:36 contain far fewer calories. But still a lot! 05:41 The establishment's "Flat Liner Fries" are cooked 05:45 in pure lard, and soft drinks are made with real sugar. 05:49 And anyone who weighs over 350 pounds can eat for free. 05:55 "So bad for you it's shocking" is the claim made. 05:58 (Nodding...) While you might be surprised by people 06:03 wanting to eat food that is celebrated for being 06:06 unhealthy, and while the food we've just talked about isn't 06:09 your every day food and is a little over the top, 06:13 lots and lots of people eat food very similar to that 06:16 every day. How does God feel about that? 06:20 Does it matter to God at all what we eat? 06:24 We'll find out in just a moment. 06:29 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect of 06:32 Christian Stewardship. For this reason, It Is 06:35 Written is pleased to offer free planned giving and 06:37 estate services. For information on how we can 06:40 help you, please call 1.800.992.2219. 06:44 To receive additional material on the advantages of 06:47 life-income plans such as a Charitable Gift Annuity, 06:51 which can provide you with tax benefits and income for 06:53 life, call today or visit our special website: 06:57 www.hislegacy.com. You could also write to It Is 07:03 Written, Planned Giving and Trust Services, Box O, 07:06 Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 07:10 Our toll-free number again is 1-800-992-2219 and our web 07:16 address: www.hislegacy.com 07:24 It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the gospel 07:27 around the world. Our dream is to impact 07:29 the world for God. Our television program is 07:31 only one aspect of how we try to accomplish that. 07:34 To discover more about It is Written, I invite you to 07:37 visit our website itiswritten.com and browse 07:40 the dozens of pages that describe what we do and how 07:43 we do it. Let's get to know each other 07:45 a little better. Visit our website 07:47 itiswritten.com today. Welcome back to It Is 07:51 Written. Today - Health Matters. 07:54 It's fair to assume that a lot of the food that's 07:57 available to us today simply isn't good for us. 08:00 But where do we go to get the information that we need to 08:02 help us make the right decisions. 08:05 In Australia a professor called Bruce Neal, the senior 08:08 director of the George Institute for Global Health 08:12 has come out and said that diet and exercise campaigns 08:14 are so ineffective at preventing heart disease that 08:17 they should be abandoned and replaced with strict 08:21 regulation of salt levels in food combined with wider 08:24 medication use. Professor Neal is saying that 08:26 the government should stop having a hands off approach 08:30 and regulate the food industry to bring about 08:32 change. But then one doctor says this 08:35 and another doctor says that - and it usually is not bad 08:38 advice, usually - and in all of the confusion we are just 08:42 trying to do our best. Let me make a suggestion. 08:46 The Bible encourages us to go to God and seek his advice 08:51 about things that are happening in our lives. 08:53 Has God ever failed to give you good advice? 08:56 No he hasn't. Sometimes we say 'what would 08:59 Jesus do about this'? Well, what did Jesus eat when 09:03 he was upon this earth and better still what would 09:07 Jesus eat if he were upon the earth now? 09:10 Jesus was not raised in a wealthy family, which means 09:13 that as far as his diet went his family probably couldn't 09:17 afford too many extras - or too many expensive 09:21 alternatives. In society today, if you come 09:24 from a lower socio economic background you're more likely 09:26 to be sick, a smoker and/or a drinker and have 09:29 a poor diet. That's what the researchers 09:31 tell us. So when the government looks 09:34 at health issues they have to keep those things in mind. 09:36 Now Jesus wasn't weighed down by that kind of diet or 09:40 lifestyle. For thirty years Jesus had to 09:43 work hard in his fathers carpenter shop and no doubt 09:45 ate a fairly typical Mediterranean diet that was 09:48 wholesome, unprocessed and in line with the Jewish dietary 09:53 laws. He would have consumed little 09:55 saturated fat, only natural sugars, He would have got 09:59 plenty of sleep and lots of exercise. 10:02 Jesus would also have a heart full of love for his father 10:07 and have a concern for the needs of others. 10:10 And no doubt someone is tempted to say, "That's all 10:12 very well but I can't go back and live in Jesus time." 10:17 But the Word of God gives us guidelines for what we can 10:19 include in our busy modern lifestyles. 10:22 One thing I'm quite certain of: Jesus likely wouldn't 10:27 advise us to eat at the burger restaurant I talked 10:30 about a moment ago. I mentioned previously the 10:34 Jewish dietary laws just a second back. 10:36 These were laws that God gave to Israel to preserve their 10:39 health. The Hebrews had been slaves 10:41 in Egypt for several hundred years. 10:43 Yet even among that slave lifestyle they got to the 10:46 stage where they considered their food tolerable. 10:50 They later said this (you read it in Exodus 16), "Oh, 10:54 that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of 10:57 Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate 11:02 bread to the full! For you have brought us out 11:05 into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with 11:09 hunger." Exodus 16:3 But history 11:13 tells us that the Egyptians lifestyle wasn't too healthy. 11:17 The Egyptians suffered from every modern disease that we 11:20 suffer from today, except of course from modern diseases 11:23 such as AIDS. Heart disease, Cancer, 11:27 Cirrhosis of the liver, Gallstones, Kidney stones, 11:29 Gout, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Pneumonia, 11:33 obesity - of course the depictions of Egyptians by 11:36 the artists of the time were quite flattering, but they 11:39 were some sick people. God knew that when the 11:42 children of Israel eventually settled in the land that he 11:45 had promised them they might be tempted to adopt an 11:48 Egyptian-style so he said this. 11:54 "You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God 11:58 has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be 12:02 well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the 12:05 land which you shall possess." 12:08 Deuteronomy 5:33. God through Solomon advised 12:12 the people like this "My son, give attention to my words; 12:18 incline your ear to my sayings. 12:20 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the 12:23 midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find 12:26 them, And health to all their flesh." 12:30 Proverbs 4:20-22. Our present day knowledge has 12:33 been gathered in little over 100 years or so. 12:37 However there was an efficient public health 12:39 program in effect some 3000 years back and how sad that 12:45 it was lost sight of for centuries. 12:47 Moses the great Egyptian leader and then Hebrew leader 12:50 was the founder of preventive medicine. 12:53 The children of Israel lived in the desert for 40 years 12:56 and not one of them got sick. In just a moment - more 13:00 timeless health principles from the Bible. 13:07 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 'Man 13:11 shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 13:14 proceeds out of the mouth of God'." 13:17 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 13:20 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 13:23 especially for busy people like you. 13:25 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 13:28 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 13:32 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 13:35 Watch Every Word. You'll be glad you did. 13:37 Here's a sample. 13:48 When they found her body in the wreckage of the car, 13:50 Police noticed a cell phone with a half-finished text 13:54 message on it. See, she'd been texting while 13:57 driving in terrible weather, in a car full of people. 14:00 The risks are so well known, but that doesn't stop a lot 14:03 of people. Sin is the riskiest behavior 14:07 of all, and it says in Ecclesiastes 8:11, "Because 14:09 sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, 14:12 therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in 14:14 them to do evil." God isn't going to zap you 14:17 every time you sin, so some go on sinning like there are 14:20 no consequences. Ignoring the consequences of 14:26 sin is deadly. One day we'll reap what we 14:28 have sown. Don't roll the dice on sin. 14:30 Be motivated by love for God, and let Him keep you 14:32 in the center of His will. I'm John Bradshaw for 14:35 It Is Written. Let's live today by Every 14:40 Word. This is It Is Written. 14:42 And today - Health Matters. And the Bible is clear health 14:47 really matters! Humans were carefully 14:50 designed by God - and just like when you buy a car the car's 14:53 engineers - the creators of the car - tell you how 14:56 to run your car to keep it in the best possible condition, 14:58 God gave us the Bible as an owner's manual 15:03 so we'd know how to keep our bodies - and more 15:06 importantly, our minds - in the best condition: to give 15:10 us every advantage in receiving everlasting life. 15:14 Now I'd understand if you said, "But John - salvation 15:17 is a gift we receive freely through Jesus. 15:20 What does eating have to do with that?" 15:23 Good question - I'm glad you asked! 15:25 The state of our health most often affects the 15:28 functionality of our frontal lobe, the part of your brain 15:31 that governs moral reasoning and social behavior. 15:36 It's the part of our brain that governs our 15:38 decision-making processes. And the point for Christians 15:41 is that if you compromise your decision-making ability 15:45 - your moral-reasoning ability - you compromise your 15:49 ability to maintain an optimum connection with God. 15:54 It just makes sense. If you want your vehicle to 15:56 run right you make sure it gets the right fuel. 15:59 A farmer is going to make sure his or her farm animals 16:02 get the right food so those animals produce the best 16:05 results. Athletes follow careful diets 16:08 because they want the best possible outcome when they 16:10 compete. And here we are involved in 16:12 what Paul calls a battle against spiritual darkness... 16:16 Don't you think we need every advantage we can get? 16:19 Of course we do. Which is why God drew up the 16:22 menu in the Garden of Eden. It's why God provided the 16:25 food for the children of Israel when they were in the 16:27 wilderness. God knew that health matters. 16:32 Now I'ld like to show you a text from the book of 16:34 Proverbs. Does the wisest man who ever 16:37 lived give us good healthy living advice? 16:40 Yes he does. He talks about honey a number 16:44 of times. First he tells us to eat 16:47 honey because it is good. Solomon said in the book of 16:49 Proverbs: "My son, eat honey because it is good, and the 16:54 honeycomb which is sweet to your taste." 16:57 (Proverbs 24:13). Now that is good news. 17:01 But tell me what parent would let their child loose with an 17:05 entire pot of honey? We wouldn't do that because 17:08 we know that wouldn't be good for us. 17:11 What are the type of foods that are full of sugar that 17:13 we eat a lot of? Confectionary, soft drinks 17:18 ... the list goes on. 17:20 It's a big list. Is God giving us poor advice 17:23 here? No - we read in Proverbs 17:26 25:16, something that balances this up. 17:31 Proverbs 25 and verse 16: "Have you found honey? 17:37 Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it 17:44 and vomit." I remember as a child that my 17:46 brother went to a party and got stuck into his favorite 17:49 food. We used to call them 17:51 "Chocolate Crackles". They were made out of Rice 17:53 Krispies and chocolate and honey. 17:58 This boy was in his element. And without our mum looking 18:03 over his shoulder, he ate just as many of those things 18:05 as he wanted to, not as many as he needed to. 18:09 How did they work out? Let's just say... 18:14 it wasn't pretty. We read in Proverbs 25:27, 18:18 "It is not good to eat much honey." 18:22 (And what's meant by that is TOO much honey.) So there it 18:24 is, it is not good to eat too much honey, to much sweet 18:32 stuff. That same brother of mine 18:36 loves Mars bars. At least he used to. 18:39 He ate them for years. But he doesn't anymore (very 18:41 often...) I asked him recently why he gave them up. 18:44 He simply said: "Just too much sugar in them. 18:48 I know it's not good for me". Well I am glad to say that 18:51 you can teach an old dog new tricks. 18:55 Let me share with you something. 18:57 I want to share with you another text out of the 19:00 Bible, this time from the book of Proverbs, from 19:04 Solomon, and notice what it says. 19:07 Proverbs 23:1-3 says this: 19:16 "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider 19:19 carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your 19:22 throat if you are a man given to appetite. 19:25 Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food." 19:31 It seems to me Solomon is warning us about over-eating. 19:36 Overeating is one of the biggest issues that we have 19:38 today in society, healthwise. You can go to restaurants in 19:42 every city from sea to shining sea and eat as much 19:46 as you want which leads to any number of things - 19:49 including obesity. Obesity is one of ... 19:52 pardon the expression ... the biggest public health 19:54 problems in the Western world today. 19:56 It leads to a host of diseases and chronic 19:59 illnesses including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, 20:02 osteoarthritis, gall stones, gout, asthma... 20:07 the list goes on and on. The Bible gives us good 20:10 advice. Don't over eat. 20:13 Along with overeating goes the national habit of eating 20:15 between meals. This is a nation that 20:18 has been encouraged to eat whenever it wants, 20:21 what it wants, how it wants. It is best to follow 20:24 the Bible's advice and teach ourselves not to overeat 20:28 and not to eat between meals. This brother I've been 20:33 telling you about told me recently that he had lost 20:35 about 9 pounds. I thought, well, he must have 20:37 got himself on the latest wonder diet from Oprah or Kim 20:39 Kardashian. He said "No, no. 20:42 My wife suggested that I eat my meal on a smaller plate." 20:47 Simple. He didn't notice any real 20:49 difference until it seemed to him as if his belt had 20:53 stretched. He suggested I try the same 20:56 thing - the smaller plate... and I suggested that he was 20:58 meddling. Solomon also tells us to 21:02 avoid the "delicacies". Now these are the extras, the 21:06 treats, the indulgences we like to eat. 21:10 Back in Solomon's time it seems like only the rich 21:12 could afford those things. Today they are available 21:15 to everyone. When it comes to practical 21:18 suggestions for our diet and health, the Bible has got 21:23 a lot to say. Here's just one more point. 21:25 God gave the children of Israel extensive advice on 21:28 what they could or couldn't eat. 21:31 On what they should or shouldn't eat. 21:33 In Leviticus 3:17, God says. "This shall be a perpetual 21:37 statute throughout your generations in all your 21:40 dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood." 21:46 Interesting! God told his people not to 21:50 eat fat. If that strikes you as 21:54 strange, the truth is God was simply up on the latest good 21:59 health information. I suspect that if you went to 22:02 your doctor for health advice he or she will tell you not 22:04 to eat fat. For many of us a low fat diet 22:07 is just common sense. You certainly don't get that 22:12 at some of these hamburger places we've been discussing. 22:16 God also advice about which animals should or shouldn't 22:21 be eaten. Or perhaps I should say, may 22:24 or may not be eaten. It was as simple as this. 22:28 This is what God says. You find it in the Holy 22:30 Bible. "Whatever in the water has 22:34 fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the 22:38 rivers--that you may eat. But all in the seas or in the 22:42 rivers that do not have fins and scales..." 22:46 God says leave it off the menu. 22:49 God said in the same chapter that birds of prey or those 22:53 birds that feed on offal or carrion - the scavengers and 22:57 carnivorous birds - God says we shouldn't eat them either. 23:01 The fact is they're likely the most likely to transmit 23:05 disease to humans. If you're out driving and you 23:08 see an animal that's been hit by a car you don't say, "Good 23:11 news, here's dinner!" You know better than that. 23:15 Those birds see those animals on the side of the road, they 23:17 say "Good news! Here's dinner!" 23:19 Why would we want to eat them? 23:23 God made clear that the only animals that should be eaten 23:27 are the ones that have a cloven hoof and chew the cud. 23:33 Now, that would be what? Well - cows, goats, deer, 23:37 sheep... maybe some others. 23:39 But God said animals we shouldn't eat include the 23:43 camel - bound to disappoint you I know - rabbits, 23:48 badgers, and pigs. Hummmm. 23:51 Getting closer to home now. God said they are unfit to 23:56 eat. You read that in the Bible. 23:59 God doesn't want the food that we eat to make us sick. 24:04 He gives us an overarching principle in 1 Corinthians 24:07 10:31. He said this, he said 24:10 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, 24:13 do all to the glory of God." So what can you do to help 24:19 improve your health in the future? 24:27 I would like to give you some advice. 24:29 My advice comes in the form of a suggestion. 24:32 As a matter of fact, my advice comes in the form 24:35 of an offer. I'd like to recommend to you 24:39 this book, produced by It Is Written titled "Easy Steps 24:44 for Better Health." This book has the capacity 24:48 to change your life and give you improved health. 24:56 To get your copy of Easy Steps for Better Health, just 25:00 call us at 1.800.253.3000. 1.800.253.3000. 25:08 Easy Steps for Better Health contains loads of great 25:11 information scientifically up to date, easy to implement 25:15 that will help you make the changes in your life that 25:18 will lead you on the pathway to better health, both 25:21 physically and spiritually. Easy Steps for Better Health. 25:24 To get your copy, call now, 1.800.253.3000. 25:30 Or, you can write to us at It Is Written, Box O, 25:34 Thousand Oaks, California, 91359 and we'll gladly send you a copy 25:39 of this book to your address in North America. 25:43 Easy Steps for Better Health. Getting this book might be 25:48 just about the best decision you've made in a long time. 25:51 It will be a blessing to your health and can set you on 25:55 the road to a fuller life, a healthier life, a life where 26:00 you can enjoy more of the blessings of God. 26:03 Easy Steps for Better Health. Call 1.800.253.3000 or write 26:06 to us at Box O, Thousand Oaks, California, 91359. 26:11 And please remember, It Is Written is a faith-based 26:16 ministry, made possibly by people like you. 26:20 To support the ministry of It Is Written, you can send your 26:24 donation to us at Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 26:28 91359 or you can go on-line to our website, 26:32 itiswritten.com. Thank you for your prayers 26:35 and thank you for your much needed support. 26:44 I'm glad you've joined me today. 26:46 Before we go, I'd like to pray with you. 26:48 We've got a lot to pray about. 26:50 Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, 26:52 challenging subject today, but a subject that can make 26:55 the difference between life and death, literally, for so 26:57 many of us that are watching today and people have been 27:00 saying, "Oh, I need to but how can I?" 27:03 Lord, we know Jesus said that we can do all things through 27:08 him who strengthens us. So Father, I pray your spirit 27:11 will get inside of us, that you will live your life out 27:14 in us and make in our lives the changes that need to be 27:17 made. We thank you for this 27:19 blessing and we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 27:28 [Music] 27:41 Thanks for joining me today. 27:43 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:45 Until then, remember - It Is Written: 27:48 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 27:52 word that proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2018-11-17