Photo Credit: 123Gold.com 

Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?

My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

He was despised and rejected– a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.

He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.

When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.—Isaiah 53

This is the story of Good Friday, good because our Lord Jesus Christ took the bad that we deserved. Yes, this is a good day to remember Jesus and His sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. This is a good day to make Him Savior of your life, if you haven’t already. It’s also a good day to make Him Lord of your life by honoring your body, in honor of His body that was bruised for us. Here are a few links to help you honor God through your body.

Dr. Don Colbert on Understanding Free Radicals and Antioxidants

Dr. Don Colbert on the Vigor of Vegetables

Dr. Reginald Cherry on The Allergy Gut Connection

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

The other day I gave some nods and a big laugh to Vanity Panic, a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Kim Cash Tate. The vanity issue was wanting beautiful skin and, of course, Kim had to mention her hair woe. What’s a discussion about vanity if it doesn’t include hair, right? Most of us who made comments agreed that we were dealing with vanity, but we all wanted to know what the healthy balance is between lack of care and vanity. I think we need to remember that we live in a fallen world and that some things just won’t be flawless all the time. Keeping this in mind can help us not to fret over a zit and get depressed from our hair. Like anything else we care about, we have to put some diligence toward having healthy skin and hair, but obsession is idolatry.

As we work toward good health, I hope we work to heal, instead of just mask, our issues. So today I’m sharing some natural methods I use that may get to the root of your problems skin, whether you have acne, dark circles under your eyes, or oily, dry or ashen skin.

Reasons The cause of skin issues can be external or internal or both. We must be careful of what we put on and in our bodies. Watch out for bacteria that come from dirt or other pollutants, makeup and creams that can clog your pores, and processed, fried and fatty foods. As I wrote in my earlier posts, stress and dehydration can also cause skin problems. Food allergies and hormone imbalances can be factors, too.

Remedies

Know your body. Observe what triggers your skin problems. Get tested for food and allergies. You can also keep a food diary to note how your skin reacts when you eat certain foods. Don’t just do this with new foods. Include the ones you’ve always eaten because you may have never contributed a skin problem to one of your favorite foods. Once you discover your causes you can make a change.

Detoxify your body. You should make sure to cleanse your body at various intervals throughout the year—a major cleanse annually, a less stringent one quarterly, a milder one monthly, and even one weekly. You can do a juice fast, the Master Cleanse, dieter’s tea, all fruits and vegetables, whatever you believe works best for your body. We overwork our kidneys and liver, our detoxification organs, with many harsh foods we eat and they sometimes fail to flush the toxins out our bodies. A detoxification helps to flush out the lingering toxins that are seeping through our skin. As always, drink plenty of purified water to help the detoxification process and moisturize your skin.

Pamper your body. Once you get the junk out, put some good stuff on and in. I eat plenty of onions, garlic, and yellow-orange fruits and vegetables and green ones too, which are all high in antioxidants and some in beta-carotene, which clean and clear the skin. I drink dandelion root, burdock root and chamomile teas to dispel toxins from, nourish and soothe my inflamed skin. I sometimes use Witch Hazel (with low percentage or no alcohol) as an astringent, which refreshes and helps removes traces of oil and dirt.

I could say more, but I know this is a good start. I look forward to hearing how you’re doing on your healthy skin journey the natural way.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith