Withered

Withered

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

OPENING: When we talk of our wellness we are talking about our entire wellbeing, it is more than just our physical health but encompassing our total health. Understand wellness is not only being free of disease, illness, or stress but it involves having a purpose in life, being emotionally healthy, spiritual secure, taking an active involvement in your work as well as in your leisure time, having joyful relationships and being happy. According to Grand Rapid Community College of Health Care Professionals there are Seven Dimensions of Health, some list 8 and other 9 I am going to mention the seven because 7 represents perfection. The Seven Dimensions of Wellness are:-

Physical wellness which encompasses a variety of healthy behaviors including adequate exercise, proper nutrition and abstaining from harmful habits such as drug use and alcohol abuse.

Emotional wellness is a dynamic state that fluctuates frequently with your other six dimensions of wellness. Being emotionally well is typically defined as possessing the ability to feel and express human emotions such as happiness, sadness, joy, grief, and anger. It means having the ability to love and be loved and achieving a sense of fulfillment in life. Emotional wellness encompasses optimism, self-esteem, self-acceptance, and the ability to share feelings

Intellectual wellness involves and encourages creative and stimulating mental activities. Our minds need to be continually inspired and exercised just as our bodies do. People who possess a high level of intellectual wellness have an active mind and continue to learn. An intellectually well person uses the resources available to expand one's knowledge and improve skills.

Spiritual wellness involves possessing a set of guiding beliefs, principles, or values that help give direction to one's life. It encompasses a high level of faith, hope and commitment to your individual beliefs that provide a sense of meaning and purpose. It is willingness to seek meaning and purpose in human existence, to question everything and to appreciate the things which cannot be readily explained or understood

Social wellness refers to our ability to interact successfully in our global community and to live up to the expectations and demands of our personal roles. This means learning good communication skills, developing intimacy with others, and creating a support network of friends and family members

Environmental wellness is an awareness of the unstable state of the earth and the effects of your daily habits on the physical environment. It consists of maintaining a way of life that maximizes harmony with the earth and minimizes harm to the environment. It includes being involved in socially responsible activities to protect the environment

Occupational /Vocational wellness involves preparing and making use of your gifts, skills, and talents in order to gain purpose, happiness, and enrichment in your life. The development of occupational satisfaction and wellness is related to your attitude about your work. Achieving optimal occupational wellness allows you to maintain a positive attitude and experience satisfaction/pleasure in your employment. Occupational wellness means successfully integrating a commitment to your occupation into a total lifestyle that is satisfying and rewarding

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 12: 10&13-14 says “And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered, And they asked Him saying, is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? That they might accuse him. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.”

PRAYER:

You have heard me teach lately about leaving religion and entering Kingdom. Religion is dangerous because it causes people to wither and shrivel up and become of no use in the Kingdom of God. When we look at the Pharisees and see how they were staunch with holding to their religious observances and rituals and compare it to what is going on in many churches today we understand how easily it is for people to be in the church to do church and yet be withered.

Just stick with me for a little while because I know where I am going, and we are going to get to the destination God desires for us to be but there is a little scenery we must take in first.

In our text we find a man who was in the synagogue with a withered hand. The Bible doesn’t let us know his name because his name is not of importance here, but his condition is. WATCH THIS: Sometimes in life because of sin we become recognized and known more by our condition than our names. EXAMPLE: His name was Bartimaeus, but he was known by his condition “Blind Bartimaeus” “The woman with the issue of blood is known by her condition, but Jesus calls her DAUGHTER.