Greetings! By God’s grace, we are back from our annual end-time retreat, and class is back in session! We shall begin a new segment today entitled, Health Habits & Character.

 Character

There is nothing truly great in man but character. No one can eventually fill the positions in the community that he ought to fill, and which he hopes to fill, unless his character is spotless. He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, and acts the best.

A true philosophy of life “does not ignore the value of scientific knowledge or literary attainments; but above information it values power; above power, goodness; above intellectual attainments, character. The world does not so much need men of great intellect as of noble character. It needs men in whom ability is controlled by steadfast principle” ED 225. It is character, not position, that decide future destiny.

In a previous class, the body, its functions, and needs were studied in detail, in search of health. It is now in order to consider the highest function of both mind and body in the formation of character. As the body and mind are inseparable in their work, so health habits and character development are inseparable. “Whatever injures the health, not only lessens physical vigor, but tends to weaken the mental and moral powers. Indulgence in any unhealthful practice makes it more difficult for one to discriminate between right and wrong, and hence more difficult to resist evil. It increases the danger of failure and defeat” MH 128.

Life

Life consists of experience secured through the combined exercise of the physical, mental, and spiritual powers – the body, mind, and spirit. The harmonious development of these three, prepares one for this life and for eternity. The physical powers find their expression largely through the five senses – seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling, under the direction of, and through coordination with, the mind.

The Senses

The greatest satisfaction of life are not obtained from the exercise of mere physical strength, but through the proper use of the five senses. The highest and noblest aspirations of life are gained through the enjoyment of the senses, under the direction of the mind, which in turn is guided by the eternal principles of right.

Choosing The Character

The mere possession of the five senses does not constitute character, but the daily proper use of them develops character. This is the field where man’s priceless endowment, the power of choice, is exercised for weal or woe.  Habits are formed through their exercise, and the sort of habits formed depends upon the kind of experiences chosen by the mind for the five senses to enjoy, and therefore the use or misuse of the senses will largely determine the nature of the character being developed.

Self- Control

To make the right choice in the use of the senses, two things are indispensable. The first is knowledge of their proper use; the second is self-control. Concerning this, one writer has said – “Real glory springs from the conquest of yourself; and without that, the conqueror is but the veriest slave.”

“It is not enough to have great qualities, you should also have the management of them.” “He who has mastered himself will be stronger than his passions, superior to his circumstance, higher than his calling, and greater than his speech.” “No one can call himself educated until every voluntary muscle obeys his will.” “It is a great thing to have brains, but it is vastly better to be able and willing to command your brains confidently under all circumstances.”

The world needs men today who are masters of, not slaves to, circumstances; and the master of self is fundamental to the mastery of life’s problems. Self-control is exercised and habits are formed through the use of the five senses, and the habits that are formed wherein the sense of taste is involved are very strong, and some of them are very destructive. The reason follows.

The King of Senses

Man’s physical life is maintained by food, and he was given the sense of taste that he might receive pleasure from the experience of putting into his body the things which would prolong his existence.

It being more important that he eat and sustain life, than that he see, or hear, or smell, or touch, these senses become servants to the sense of taste, and are largely engaged in occupations which will produce the chief necessity of life – food.

Because the satisfaction of the appetite in the proper use of food to sustain life is a first necessity to existence, it affords the greatest opportunity for perversion; and therefore from the dawn of human history it has been man’s great weakness, and the source of the most subtle temptations, which work for his greatest degradation; it is the most vulnerable point at which to attack him.

And, like as the other senses contribute of their powers in securing food to sustain life, so, when the taste becomes perverted, these other four senses are likewise diverted from their natural uses and become slaves to the appetite to provide the indulgences it craves. The sense of taste can be satisfied with things which will upbuild body, mind, and soul, or it can be indulged with things which will destroy them all.

Grab a friend and share the wealth, from what you’ve learned in the School of Health! In our next class, we shall continue our study on, Health Habits & Character. God bless!