What Is "Good" to Eat?

With an untrained eye, I can see the obvious. God placed the most nutritious foods in the Promised Land for His people to enjoy. Not only were these foods pleasing to eat, but they were healing to the body. Olive oil, honey, and pomegranates stand out to me. Figs and raisins were also obtained from the land in order to make cakes, which is mentioned many times in Scripture. The people in Bible times made their own bread, and they ate fresh food from the land.

Today, we make bread to last. And, baked goods are certainly not from figs or raisins. I am not sure that some of the famous doctors and surgeons these days are even Christians, but I find it less than coincidence that their research on food lines up with Scripture. Dr. Gundry, who treats patients with difficult health ailments, wrote The Plant Paradox (2017). He believes that one of the best foods to consume is olive oil. In the Bible, we can see that olive oil was to be held in high regard, and it was used often.

God knows how he designed us, and what we are to eat. He made the plants of the field, and now, because of sin, we can eat the animals, as well. Many of us are confused what is good for the body, but the Bible leads us to figuring that out.

I love how the Jesus Storybook Bible teaches why the Bible was written (2007). It states that some people think the Bible is a book of rules to follow or a book of heroes to follow after. It is not a book of rules or a book of heroes. It "isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done."

The Bible was not written to obtain health and wealth, but in the Scriptures, we can find the principles to achieve these things. After all, the more you learn, the more appreciation you will have for the Word of God.

From the book of Proverbs, we can see that God cares for us. He gave Solomon great wisdom to share, and I believe God's Word is eternal to use even today! I hope the passages below help you to see that these other matters (of health and wealth) are important, as well.

Proverbs 22:4 "Humility and fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life."

Proverbs 3:7-10 "Don't be wise in your own eyes. Have respect for the Lord and avoid evil. That will bring health to your body. It will make your bones strong. Honor the Lord with your wealth. Give him the first share of all your crops. Then your storerooms will be so full they can't hold everything."

Proverbs 16:24 "Kind words are like honey. They are sweet to the spirit and bring healing to the body."

God cares not only about our spiritual health and eternal wealth, but He cares for us while we are here on earth.


Thanks for reading!
~Melissa Seng

Teaching Your Kids to Become Life-Long Friends

As the winter comes to an end, you have probably seen enough of your kids fighting or bickering with one another, and you might be discouraged. In this blog, I want to give you a few tips to keep in mind as you encourage your kids to become friends, instead of enemies. They are simple, practical tips that you can implement right away. So, let's get started...

*Encourage you kids to help out one another. As you ask them to serve one another, they will learn that the joy of serving far outweighs the joy of taking. They will learn to be in the habit of looking out for one another, which will do wonders for them as they grow.

*Do not punish them harshly for minor disputes. When kids receive harsh punishment, they tend to want to "get even" with their siblings. The result can be never-ending disputes between siblings and a lack of peace in the home. Instead, give reasonable punishment to lead them in the right direction.

*See "tattle-tailing" for what it really is. Most parents would see that tattle-tailing is simply annoying. But, it is actually a bigger problem than just an annoyance. It's children seeking the worst for one another, instead of wanting the best for them. At times, kids will tell on one another because they are actually looking out for each other. If one sibling is in trouble because of their actions or situations, another sibling can recognize it. My oldest is great at telling me if his youngest brother is doing something that could potentially harm him. And, I show him that I am grateful for his help. We need to teach children to always desire for the best for one another.

I believe if you follow these tips, you are on the right path for teaching your kids to become life-long friends.

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng

One Biblical Truth to Teach Your Kids This Spring

School is well underway for your kids. As these Winter months quickly pass by, your family is probably  making plans for the Springtime, and possibly the Summer. Your kids are all excited to get outside and enjoy the warm, fresh air and the life that comes with the season.

This spring, I encourage you to share, not only energy, as you go outdoors, but share wisdom with your kids. One of the ways you can do that is by reading the Scriptures together. Of course, you can take in Scriptures on Sunday mornings, but I think you will be surprised how much you can learn in your own home during the week.

As I have been reading the Old Testament straight through, I have learned so much. I have found that in many parts of the Scriptures, we can read what is going to happen, then we read that it did happen, and then we read about what just happened. I think it's a bit funny that God realized He would have to tell us these stories three times, to give us extra opportunities to pick up on His message. When we take the time to understand the Scriptures, we can get a perspective of hope, that we cannot receive from any other source in our world, and we can have wisdom that helps us to understand the crazy world we live in.

The three parts of Scripture listed below are a great place to start. These verses teach us what God considers to be "life." This may be contrary to what we have learned and what our kids are learning in school. Read these passages to your kids, and ask them what God considers to be "living things." As you enjoy the season to come, your family can see the Springtime as a gift to enjoy, and understand the value of life. These truths will provide greater hope, encouragement, understanding, and purpose that the world does not provide.

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng

Decreasing Sibling Rivalry Among Your Kids

This morning I was thinking about sibling rivalry, one of the main reasons why kids argue. Our kids want to compete to earn what the other one has. The ironic part of conflict under these circumstances is that kids cannot get what they are seeking.

Kids seek after position. Younger kids want to be older so that they have privileges. Older kids want to be younger so that they can get more attention. Every argument between our children ends up being one child seeking the position of the other child. As a result, our kids begin fighting a losing battle.

How do we deal with this sibling rivalry? We are careful in our words and actions. Instead of granting rewards based on position, we grant them based on hard work and character. Instead of saying "Your sister can do ... because she is the oldest," say "Your sister can do ... because she has worked hard enough to accomplish her goal." That is teaching kids that they can be rewarded based on hard work, not age or position.

Second, grant rewards out of love and care. Rather than being tough on an oldest children, give them grace because you care for them. We tend to reward our oldest children the least and punish them the most. When we give them grace, they are relieved from the pressures of life, and they will not use their position against their siblings. However, if we are too tough on them, they see that all that they endured has given them positional authority and a right to an inflated self-esteem. This will not serve them well in life. Kids can learn to lead and do good for one another by serving and caring for one another. As parents, we need to encourage goodness by showing them grace.

Third, grant rewards based on the interests of your kids. One child might really appreciate you taking him to see a movie. Another child might appreciate going to the park. Another child might like you to make him a special dessert for the day. Siblings can be happy for one another when Mom and Dad have taken the time to be a blessing and show that they care.

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng

Keeping Yourself Healthy for the Holidays!

In our daily lives, I have found a few topics to be important. These topics have become my focal points in writing. When you become better in these areas, your life changes drastically for the better. The areas are Faith, Family, Fitness, and Food.

Faith determines our outlook on life. Faith in God gives us peace; faith in His Son gives us eternal security. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that "by faith we understand that the Universe was formed at God's command." When we have faith in God's Word, we gain direction, wisdom, and understanding. Family and fitness are the other topics, but in this blog I want to focus on food.

Just like faith, food has the power to impact every area of our lives. It has the power to give us strength and energy to enjoy our families. It has the power to make us ill, so that we cannot focus even on growing our faith. Food can help us to be excited about life, or it can take all the excitement right from us. 

It is fascinating to know that God values what we eat. He put some of the best foods in the Promised Land for His people. It was the land of milk and honey, but it also had pomegranates, olive oil, and much more. Genesis 1:29 tells us that God gave us "every seed-bearing plant...and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." God made food that would be healing to the body and strength to our bones.

In our imperfect world, we come across a lot of food that is not healing to the body. The Daniel Plan tells us that MSG's, hidden in foods, cause hunger, headaches, allergies, and damage to the gut (2013). They triple your insulin production and lead to the storage of belly fat. Visceral fat sends toxins to your organs and stress hormones to the brain. 

Food can cause inflammation, which can lead to dementia, diabetes, cancer, and heart attack. Dr. Mehmet Oz in Food Can Fix It tells us that inflammation even sends signals to the brain to bring about feelings of depression (2017). 

Stress and depression is not just all in our head; it is actually real, and it can be caused by food! I experienced exactly what both of these doctors talk about in the books I mention above. Inflammation led to stress and feelings of depression. That's when I was introduced to natural healing through natural foods and supplements. A doctor who practiced holistic medicine saw that the changes in people's health were far more promising. 

I took a multivitamin, fish oil, and a probiotic, which is what The Daniel Plan teaches. Without exercise, weight-loss and feeling great seemed effortless, while eating natural foods. Dr. Oz promotes omega-3's to decrease inflammation and help the body adapt to stress (2017). He encourages phytonutrients to help detoxify the body and fight disease. He teaches that he could heal with steel, but long term health and vitality in life comes from nutrition. 

I hope you check out my website so that you, too, can get supplements that are made from beginning to end on an organic farm. Visit www.amway.com/melissaseng and the Nutrilite US Facebook page to keep yourself healthy for your family this holiday season and many more to come. 

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng

References:

Oz, Dr. Mehmet. (2017). Food Can Fix It. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Warren, Rick, Amen, Daniel, & Hyman, Mark. (2013). The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

God Warns Against A King

The story of Samuel is a great one. Samuel grows up serving the Lord, and he is a strong figure in Scripture. In 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel came to him, asking him for a king. They wanted someone to rule over them, someone to have the power to make things happen. What they didn't realize is that a king might not be on their side. A king might put his own interests first, and while he could lead an army, he could also take all of their rights away.

Samuel warned the people, "Here's what the king who rules over you will expect to be done for him. He will take your sons. He'll make them serve with his chariots and horses...others will have to plow his fields...He will take away your best fields and vineyards and olive groves...He'll take your best cattle and donkeys." Samuel tells them, "You yourselves will become his slaves (1 Samuel 8:10-17)."

The people insisted, "No! We want a king to rule over us. Then, we'll be like all the other nations..He'll go out at the head of our armies and fight our battles (1 Samuel 8:19-20)."

What is interesting is that God had already established the 10 Commandments, which would allow the people to honor God and live in a civilized society. God told them, through Moses to have no other gods, to not commit adultery, to not bear false witness, to not murder, to honor their father and mother, to not steal. In doing so, they could certainly have a civilized society without a king.

You might ask, who then would be in charge of protecting the country? God had already led the people out of slavery, protected them in the desert, defeated powerful armies. And, he did all of that without a king. He chose people, who honored Him, including Moses, Joshua, and Gideon to do what seemed impossible. But, still the people wanted a king.

Saul was a tall, handsome man. He was a leader who, the people thought, could propagate sin. They wanted to worship false gods; they wanted to disobey God. At least a king could be on their side.

People do the same in our day. They elect leaders to propagate sin and promote acts that are directly contrary to Scripture, including murder and homosexuality. They celebrate taking God's Word out of businesses and institutions. The people in 1 Samuel were all about propagating sin through a strong leader.

Fortunately, we can see a country succeed when the leadership recognizes God as the King. Moses  and Joshua were imperfect people, but their strength and goodness came from trusting in God. They defeated powerful armies and led the people towards the Promised Land because of their faithfulness.

A Bold Gentleman: A Heart-Warming Story from Scripture

It is difficult to read the story of Ruth and Boaz and not be compelled to talk about it. It is an incredible story in the Bible, that is so encouraging and applicable to our day.

The book of Ruth is perfectly placed (of course) right after the book of Judges. We can read about so much evil  in the first seven books of the Old Testament, as people turn away from God, time and time again. Then, comes the story of Ruth and Boaz. Reading this story is like taking in a breath of fresh air, when God uses faithful people to turn unfortunate circumstances into times to be thankful.

In the beginning of the book of Ruth, Naomi and Ruth both lost loved ones. Naomi lost her husband and two sons, and Ruth lost her husband, who was one of Naomi's sons. It was tough. Ruth chose to stick by her mother-in-law's side, and they traveled to Bethlehem.

Ruth and Boaz were in the city of David, and the city where Christ would be born. Unexpectedly, the two of them met, when Ruth showed up at Boaz's field to pick grain.

Boaz was the owner of the field and gladly allowed Ruth to work for him. He had heard about her kindness to Naomi, and he showed her much kindness in return. Boaz told the other workers not to harm her. In fact, he told them to make sure she was well taken care of. Boaz told Ruth, "Pick up the grain that is left. I've told the men not to bother you. When you are thirsty, go and get a drink. Take water from the jars the men have filled."

Boaz was not back-biting or rude to those around him. He was bold and went out of his way to be kind. He cared for Ruth, and treated her like family. He eventually took her to be his wife.

There is so much to this story to appreciate!

1. Boaz wanted what was best for Ruth. He told her from the day they met, "May the Lord be with you." He showed sincerity in his words and actions. He was a gentleman.

2. Ruth recognized his kindness. She said, "You have made me feel safe. You have spoken kindly to me. And I'm not even as important as one of your servants!" She was attentive to his kindness. 

3. We can be thankful for the bad and good examples that God has for us to read in Scripture. We can see with certainty that we do not want the destruction that comes with those who choose evil. And, we can rest assured that those who turn towards Him can expect good things to come (Romans 8:28).

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng