Meditations on Healthy Living

1 CORINTHIANS 14:13-15 Therefore, he who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say the “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? [Revised Standard translation]

1 CORINTHIANS: 14-16-17 [F]or if you praise and thank GOD with the spirit alone, speaking in another language, how can those who don’t understand you be praising GOD along with you? How can they join you in giving thanks when they don’t know what you are saying? You will be giving thanks very nicely, no doubt, but the other people present won’t be helped. [Living Bible translation]

Summary: The significance of Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 13-17 provides much mental food for thought.

Some consider these verses as Paul’s desire to provide some “guidelines” regarding the use of the Spiritual gift of tongues. There is the suggestion that those who possessed this unusual spiritual gift were so caught up in their own ability to speak “in a tongue” that was only edifying themselves, especially if they did not understand what they were saying and no one else understood what they were saying either. To Paul, while the tongue speaker may gain a lot of “charisma” in having the gift unless it actually “benefits” “the church body or someone in the church,” the gift serves no one. And, in order to benefit someone, including the speaker, someone needs to interpret. Therefore, Paul suggests that the gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of the interpretation of the tongue should go hand in hand. Without both, there is no mental understanding.

Others view this passage as a reminder of the importance of all spiritual gifts and that gifts are not our own personal “property,” but given to “Glorify GOD” and “to benefit the church body.”

Still, others may see 1 Corinthians 14: 13-17 as Paul making a connection between prayer, spirit, and mind. Sometimes people try to segregate their spiritual experience from their thinking. Sometimes people have the spiritual experience when they sing or pray, often not thinking of the implications of what they are saying because they have “disengaged their minds.” For example, when we pray or sing, “THY Will Be Done” or “LORD, I’m Available To YOU,” do the words reach the mind, or are we just “caught up” in the spirit? Do we think about what it would mean for GOD to ask me to “bear a cross” or for GOD to send me on a mission for HIM? Can we “have the mind” of CHRIST (See Philippians 2:5) such that we have the “humility” and “servant nature” to allow GOD to take control?
1 Corinthians 14: 13-17 reminds us that prayer and communion with GOD require us to
connect the mind and the spirit, when we pray to glorify and edify GOD.

Connecting Exercise and Mind

Yoga is often described as a mind-body, along with tai chi, and qiqong. Mind-body exercises tend to combine body movement, breathing, mental focus, balance, and flexibility for overall health. Here are a few yoga exercises:

    • Modified Lotus Position (to calm the mind)-
      1. Sit comfortably in a straight back chair (or a mat).
      2. Cross your legs, so the side of your crossed foot rests on the opposite leg above the knee.
      3. Sit up straight, keeping the side of the crossed leg parallel with the ground.
      4. Place your hands' palms up, with the thumb and first figure touching.
      5. Slowly breathe in and out, as you begin to calm your mind. Listen to your body and stop when you feel ready.
      6. Be sure to practice breathing in and out crossing the other leg.
    • Body Twists
      1. Sit erect in a chair, with your feet solidly planted on the floor. Inhale deeply.
      2. On the exhale, gently turn your chest and abdomen toward the right your left shoulder is forward and your right shoulder back.
      3. Gently inhale again deeply. Gently exhale and return to your start position.
      4. Inhale deeply again and gently twist to the other side, repeating the same gentle inhale and exhale.
      5. Repeat. Be gentle with your body.
    • Knee Squeezes
      1. Sitting upright in a chair (or a mat), inhale lift your right foot and hug both hands around your right knee. Breathe in and out.
      2. Release slowly on an exhale and lower the foot to the ground.
      3. Slowly repeat the exercise on the left side.
      4. Alternate. Again, be gentle with your body.

If you have a medical condition, balance problems, or need additional guidance about exercise, be sure to consult your personal physician. If any of these exercises cause pain, discontinue immediately. If you need a gentle yoga in a chair video or visuals for some of the above exercises, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8BsLlPE1m4

Prepare Your Mind
The Bible encourages us to prepare our minds.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action….

See: 1 Peter 1:13 [New International translation]. Make the mind connection.

Think about it. Pray about it. Use spiritual gifts GOD has given you.

And, BE BLESSED!