“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers”

(3 John 1:2) NASB.

Centerpiece

Use a bowl or basket of fresh fruits or vegetables as a centerpiece. These can be served as a part of the refreshments.

Refreshments

Invite the women to bring healthy snacks to share.

Game – Which Is Best?

Spend time looking at the calories, fats and cholesterol content of the various snacks. Make a game of this by showing two snacks and ask the women to identify which one is the best choice.

 Calorie Counting

Using a calorie counter found on the Internet, help the women explore the number of calories they need each day to maintain, lose, or gain weight.

Following are a few sites:

https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

https://www.cancer.org/healthy/eat-healthy-get…/calorie-counter-calculator.html

Discuss the number of calories found in food. You can find this information on the Internet.

Speakers

Invite a nurse or nutritionist to speak to the group about healthy eating, exercise plans, information on diabetes or other health issues. Ask an aerobics teacher to share exercises suitable for women of all ages.

Song

Sing the song #521, “Dare to be a Daniel” The Salvation Army Song Book.

What to Eat

I was preparing supper when my four–year–old granddaughter pulled a bench up to the counter.  She spied the pretty cupcakes that were for dessert. Remembering her mom’s teaching she said, “Grandma, I would like to eat my cupcake first, but I know I have to eat the good food first.”  She did wait, ate her dinner and then enjoyed her cupcake. There is a lesson in this for us. We need to follow God’s directions in all things, including taking care of our bodies. Scripture reminds us that we are the temple of God and we need to keep it clean. (See 2 Cor. 6:16)

Daniel is probably best known as the prophet who survived a night in the lion’s den. I love the story of Daniel. It speaks of God using him because he was faithful in the little things. Daniel trusted God from his early years. We read in Daniel 1:20, “And as for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he [the King] found them [Daniel and his friends] ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.”

After being captured and exiled to Babylon, Daniel was placed in the royal court to be groomed to serve the king for the rest of his life. While there, he asked to be given vegetables and water instead of the king’s delicacies and wine (Daniel 1:8). This was probably because the menu would have included food that was forbidden by Jewish law. Although he was in a culture that did not honor God, he still obeyed God’s laws. We often can be pressured to compromise our standards and live more like the world around us. We read, “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.” It is easier to resist temptation if we have thought through our convictions before the temptation arises and rely on God’s help in every situation. After ten days on this diet, Daniel looked healthier than the other men. Through the next three years he was faithful to God, and the king found favor with him.

Following a healthy life style is not always easy. We know what we should do, but we can easily be tempted to eat foods that are not good for us. It is during those times that we need to be reminded of 1 Corinthians 6:19.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

Ask God to help you as you battle those things that tempt you, remembering that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to keep my life in balance as I live and serve You. Guide me to make good choices in regard to food, exercise and rest. Amen.