Sabbath blessings to you !
Burnt Mills Sabbath School
We hope the following comments on the lesson of this week will help you prepare for discussion and sharing during our study time.
Genesis 2:15 - And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Matthew 11:28-30 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy,and my burden is light.
Mark 2:27 - And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:
If you need some good reasons why it’s important to get your sleep, here are six from the ShapeFit website:
1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body's killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.
Now if you have trouble turning your mind off and getting that rest, consider avoiding these “sleep stealers” suggested by Dr. Joyce Walsleben:
Nighttime computer and TV use. These actually stimulate your brain rather than relax it. Set an electronics curfew for the whole family.
Books in the bedroom. If reading before bedtime doesn’t ease you into sleep, then you should stop. Leave your books in another room, and make your bedroom an environment for sleep.
Late night work. Avoid doing work or paying bills at night—especially in the bedroom. These require too much concentration and are potentially stressful.
Spicy food and heavy meals. Eating spicy foods will actually raise your body’s temperature, and it needs to be cool in order to rest. In addition, these can cause heartburn that will become worse when you lie down, and can waken you in the middle of the night. Heavy meals are also hard to digest.
Late to bed, late to rise. Shifting your sleep schedule on weekends throws off your circadian rhythm--the internal clock that programs your body to sleep and wake at regular times. For instance, if you sleep in an extra three hours, your body clock will be three hours ahead, and you won’t be ready for sleep at bedtime. “Many people jet lag themselves on the weekend. You may as well go to Paris and enjoy yourself,” says Walsleben.
But it’s all easier said than done, isn’t it? We may feel that we don’t have enough time for adequate rest, but considering the above facts, can we afford to not take time? Maybe we should stop viewing sleep as an interruption and view it as a gift. Jesus didn’t create us to go non-stop. He planned a nighttime rest after each busy day, as well as a bonus—a full day’s restoration once a week, the Sabbath.
Wishing you a blessed Sabbath day of rest and restoration.
Regards,
Joseph Pakkianathan
Burnt Mills Sabbath School
Burnt Mills Sabbath School
Welcome to Burnt Mills Sabbath School! Sabbath blessings to you !
We hope the following comments on the lesson of this week will help you prepare for discussion and sharing during our study time.
Atmosphere of Praise | May 22, 2010 | (Adapted from Contemporary Comments)
Psalm 104:29 – Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Daniel 5:23 - But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
Luke 15:7 - I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Revelation 21:4 - And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Five hundred people work round-the-clock every day in British Petroleum’s crisis center in the United States. They are attempting to stop plumes of oil leaking a mile under the surface of the sea from one of their wells in the Gulf of Mexico. In Europe it was plumes of ash from the Icelandic volcano that forced airports in Scotland, Ireland and the UK to shut down this past weekend.
The air we breathe and the water we drink have the potential of being impacted by these and many other toxic pollutants.
The six major pollutants that the United States Environmental Protection Agency monitors closely to protect our health are ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and lead. These six pollutants are only a drop in the bucket when it comes to measuring levels of pollution on planet Earth. The consequences of these pollutants range from smog to acid rain to irreparable environmental damage to the planet. The impact on human beings is constantly being analyzed.
Juan Damingo of Quality Air Escapes reports that some of the known short term health effects of air pollution include irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, and an increased susceptibility to upper respiratory infections. Other symptoms can include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, nerve, brain, liver and kidney damage have all been linked to continual exposure to air pollution.
Damingo’s website points out that on average most adults breathe roughly 35 pounds of air per day, or around 20,000 breaths, and children breathe almost twice that amount, as they are smaller and still developing their respiratory systems. More air enters the body and the bloodstream than any other substance.”
Take a deep breath then exhale. Unless told to do so most of us take our source of air for granted. We inhale and exhale with little thought of what we are actually pulling into our bodies. We need air to live for without it we die. Fortunately for us air is free. It cannot be created. It can only be recycled.
Our lesson this week tells us where life-giving air originated. “And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” The lesson author reminds us that every breath we take can be traced to the breath God breathed into Adam’s nostrils. We should not take this bodily function for granted. Why not acknowledge our indebtedness to Him for every breath we take?
Just as the air we breathe that gives life is free so is the spiritual vitality that we can obtain through the Holy Spirit when we choose to envelop our self in an atmosphere that Ellen White describes as “charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, hope and the sweet fragrance of love.” By contrast we can choose to exist in an environment polluted with the gloom of discontent, selfishness, and poisoned with deadly sins.
Why not choose today to project the pure joy that comes from a life filled with praise and happiness. Those around you will breathe much easier. And so will you!
Wishing you a blessed Sabbath day filled with praise and joy in your worship.