Following the ADG can improve your Spiritual Life Part 1.

I recently read a few devotional articles which have related Health Issues to Spiritual Decline.  This made me think that if other Christians could relate something like a health issue to their spiritual lives then couldn’t I relate some form of health prevention principles to a Christian’s spiritual life as well.  I decided to research this topic and found three authors who were able to provide direction. The first one is Colbert (2002) in his book “What Would Jesus Eat” he wrote. 

“If you truly want to follow Jesus in every area of your life you cannot ignore your eating habits…Following Jesus in your diet requires a commitment to change, a commitment to be all that God created you to be, a commitment to yield your desires to God’s instruction.” 

The second author that I read was Ellen White “God desires us to reach the standard of perfection made possible for us by the gift of Christ.  He calls upon us to make our choice on the right side to connect with heavenly agencies to adopt principles that will restore in us the divine image… (Ministry of Healing p.114, 115).

The third author Vamosh (2002) who sites in her book “Food at the time of the Bible” some modern and ancient thinkers and their thoughts about how the Jewish dietary restrictions related to the spiritual realm in our lives. These scholars see it

“as a means of "negotiating” between that which is spiritual and that which is physical… could not discipline of the physical appetite reduce the cravings for acquisitiveness and even increase spiritual hunger for justice and compassion (p.11)

For the basis of my devotional today let me explain that I will be using the health prevention principles that guide the eating habits of Australia “The Australian Dietary Guidelines” (ADG).  In 1977 the Commonwealth Department of Health announced the first series of ADG based on the directions of WHO and in 2003 herald the latest revision.  It is this set I will be using.  The NHMRC (2003) states that the new guidelines

Make it easier for families and individuals to understand the relationship between diet and disease, the nutrients available in Australia’s food supply and the contribution diet can make to improving our quality of life and reducing illness (Sullivan, 2007. p. 186).

So what is it about the ADG that has caught my attention and how I will use it in preventing spiritual diseases?  In reflecting upon this question let’s explore the ADG itself.  It can be broken into three parts.  The first section emphasizes positive aspects or amounts of food or nutrients that a person body needs regularly.  The second section covers the food or nutrients that a person body requires only in small amounts.  The third and final section of the ADG emphasizes how the food preparer can prepare good nutritious and safe food for those that will consume the meal. Let us then have a closer inspection of each of these sections and reflect upon the bible verses which enable us to develop spiritual concepts.