LESSON 05:
Caring for Your Brain
1: Just what makes you the very special person that you are? There is no one in the world just like you. We can look at a fingerprint. Even though there are billions of people in this world, there is not another person with a fingerprint exactly alike.
2: But it is not just your fingerprint, nor the appearance of your face, nor your eyes, your voice, the way you walk that makes you the person you are. There are many, many things you do, and ways you think, which make you a person different from any one else in the world. And, yet basically we are all the same. To keep our bodies in health we all need air, sunlight, food, water, exercise, rest and faith in God. Also, all functions of life should be in good balance.
3: What really makes you the person you are is the way your brain functions. A machine known as the Electroencephalograph can measure the electrical pattern of the brains activity. It comes out as a tracing on a tape. Your pattern of brain activity is different from that of anyone else. It is as distinctive as your fingerprints.
4: Everything depends upon the health and life of your brain. It is the control center of your body. The nervous system with the brain as its center is connected by millions of nerve "wires" which are constantly sending messages.
5: We think that a telephone system is a marvelous thing, and it is. You can place a call to anywhere in the world. The message is sent by wireless and by undersea cables clear across oceans. It goes through various switchboards, through thousands of miles of telephone wires, and at last to the place where you are calling and you hear the voice of the other person.
6: We feel it is almost a miracle to talk such long distances through a complicated telephone system. But within your body there is a communication system more wonderful than all the telephone connections in the world.
7: The brain must handle many different messages coming from different parts of the body. If, for example, you are playing with a ball, the nerves from your eyes send the message that a ball is coming. It is all explained within the memory how big the ball is, when it will reach you, and that you must put your hand out to catch it. As soon as it touches your fingers, the message is sent to close your fingers now and catch the ball.
8: But that is not all that your brain is doing at the time. It is the control center that connects with the spinal cord and continually keeps the thousands of functions in the body going in proper balance. The complicated structure of the brain is beyond our imagination, and is one of God's most wonderful evidences that man was designed by a Creator of infinite wisdom. What you smell, see, hear, taste, feel, and how you keep your balance is all interpreted in your brain, through your nerves. This seems wonderful, but other nerves control all your organs and their complicated activities, whether you are asleep or awake, without your ever thinking about them.
9: But animals can also smell, hear, taste, feel, and all the rest. They also have organs that are controlled by a nervous system. HOWEVER:the marvelous Brain of YOURS is able to do what no animal, nor magic computer can ever do. It can love and it can worship God through the power of the will. This is what makes YOU different from all other of God's creatures.
10: In the front part of the brain, just behind your forehead is the part where the highest powers of man exist, reason, judgment, self control. It is because man has this frontal lobe, that God can say to him, "Come now, let us reason together."
11: Everything depends on your keeping your brain in good health. This is one reason you are encouraged to breathe deeply. 25% of all the oxygen taken into the body is used by the brain.
12: Even though your brain weighs only 3 pounds (about 1 kilograms) and is composed of about 70% water, one fifth of all the blood the heart pumps out goes to your brain. That is why you must be sure to drink plenty of good; pure water, eat the right food, and to exercise so that your heart and blood will be in good health.
13: You should drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. Start with two when you get up in the morning. You should then go next to the open window and take four or five deep breaths, and it would be excellent to go out and take at least 5 or 10 minutes of brisk exercise. This will help keep your body in excellent condition.
14: Because your brain is so important. God designed your skull in a very special way to protect it. Architects have discovered that this dome-shaped box is one of the strongest designs that can be used in construction. Now notice an egg shell. It is almost as thin as paper. But look how strong is it. You can squeeze it hard in your hand without breaking it! The same type of design helps protect your delicate brain from injury.
15: We often do not realize how important our physical habits are, as related to the operation and efficiency of our brain. An experiment carried on at Loma Linda University demonstrated how the drug caffeine which is in coffee and cola drinks affects the nervous system of spiders.
16: You have all seen a beautiful spider's web before. It is really marvelous what these little creatures can do. At the university, a spider, which had made a web, was given a tiny amount of caffeine. For the size of the spider, it was the same as the amount in two cups of coffee would be for a man. The nervous system of the spider became confused, and the web he made was imperfect and almost useless. Because caffeine is bad for your nerves, you should avoid drinks which contain this drug. Avoid coffee, tea, and cola drinks.
17: Man has created some remarkable storage systems for knowledge, but nothing can compare with your brain. Would you believe that on a film only 2 inches square, the entire Holy Bible has been printed. We cannot imagine such small print, almost 1,000,000 words. But your mind can take those words and can make them a living power to help you enjoy More Abundant Life.
18: Yes, God can write these words of Truth in your mind as you make choices as led by His Spirit. The brain with its amazing power is strengthened through study of the Bible, the "Miracle Book" of the world. While some have previously doubted the accuracy of Bible History, it is now further proven through discoveries of ancient writings that the inspired scriptures are true.
19: The word, "BIBLE" simply means little books. It is a compilation of 66 small books. There are two main sections. One is the OLD TESTAMENT, a group of 39 books. Originally most of them were written in Hebrew. The NEW TESTAMENT is a group of 27 books, which were mostly written in Aramaic or Greek. The Old Testament books were written before the time of Christ. The New Testament books were written after the time of Christ.
20: The first book of the Bible was written about 1500 years before the time of Christ. The last book was written about 100 years after Christ had been born. This means that there is about 1600 years of time between the writing of the first book and the last book of the Bible. All of these books were written by hand on scrolls. Copies had to be made by hand. Now we are able to get Bibles easily in printed form.
21: The different books of the Bible were written by about 45 men. Some of these men were shepherds, some were fishermen, some were Kings, and some were prophets. They were all men of God.
22: The Bible itself tells us how it came to be written. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Spirit of God." 2 Peter 1:21. The purpose of the Bible is to reveal to man who Jesus is; to tell man why Jesus came to this world and the results of His coming to this world.
23: The Bible is compared to a lamp and a light. In Psalm 119:105, we read, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." The study of the Bible protects us against sin. "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee," said King David who lived long ago. By keeping the words of the Bible in our hearts and by living according to them, we too are kept from sin.
24: Since the Bible is God's word, the principles stated in it are as eternal as God Himself. "The grass withereth, and the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever," said the prophet Isaiah who lived and wrote about 650 years before Christ was born. Isaiah 40:7.
25: The Bible, or portions of it have been printed and sold in more than 1400 languages out of the 2,708 languages of the world. No other book has such a wide circulation, nor so much publicity. Many critics have tried to tear down the Bible with their criticisms, but the Bible still stands. Many Governments have tried by decree to stop people from reading the Bible, and have even tried to destroy the Bible by gathering up all the copies and burning them, but the Bible is more read today than ever before.
26: The Bible is powerful to change human hearts and lives. Through its power, cannibals and head:hunters have been changed to peace:loving citizens who do good to others. Thieves and murderers have stopped their evil ways and have become godly people. Men and women of all kinds have changed evil ways and have come to live good, pure, clean, helpful lives of service to others.
27: Archeology, the study of ancient civilizations, has over and over again proved the accuracy and truthfulness of the Bible. As scientists dig up ruins of old civilizations, they continually find evidences that show the Bible to be true.
28: The Bible was written that we might learn from it the way of salvation from sin, and the way to future happiness and eternal life of joy. We read in Romans 15:4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we, through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."
29: This hope is centered in Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Bible as God, Creator, Saviour, Lord and King.
If through studying, believing, and obeying the Bible our hopes are placed in Christ, we will find in this life happiness and joy. ABUNDANT LIFE here and now, as well as hope of ABUNDANT LIFE for eternity to come.
Here is additional information about the Holy Scriptures:
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16:17.
"Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth." John 17:17.
"To the Law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8:20.
"Search the Scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me." John 5:39.
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17.11.
"Neither have I gone back from the commandments of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:12.
