This past month, an article appeared on Newser asserting that upwards of 430,000 people die every year for no other reason than that they sat for too long.
The article makes reference to a study published the previous month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that found that sitting for more than three hours per day is responsible for 3.8%—or approximately 433,000—of all deaths worldwide every year. This study was based on data collected from fifty-four countries between 2002 and 2011.
Specifically, indications are that sixty percent of the world's population sits for more than three hours per day, with the average time spent sitting each day being approximately 4.7 hours. The highest amounts of sitting-related deaths were found to be in the Western Pacific and in parts of Europe.
Among those places topping the list were Lebanon and the Netherlands. Conversely, Mexico and Myanmar had the fewest sitting-related deaths.
The conclusion of the study by researchers was that eliminating sitting could increase overall life expectancy by 0.2 years, while reducing daily sitting time by just two hours could decrease an individual's mortality by 2.4%.
In simple words, this means that even sitting for thirty minutes less per day can have a reasonably significant impact on longevity. To quote the study's lead author: "It is important to minimize sedentary behavior in order to prevent premature deaths around the world."
As I read these statistics, I could not help but be reminded of an old hymn that many of us who are believers have sung down through the years titled “Standing on the Promises”.
Perhaps you are familiar with the words:
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
Including the repetition of the refrain, the singing of this hymn affirms one’s commitment to standing on the promises of God an astounding forty-one times! Yet, as I once heard famed evangelist, Freddie Gage, say, a far more accurate affirmation for most Christians might well be: “Sitting on the Premises”!
A number of years ago, picking up on this theme, Rev. James W. Moore actually wrote a book titled “Standing on the Promises or Sitting on the Premises?”
In the introduction to this wonderful work on the promises of God in the Bible, he states:
Let me begin with a question: "Are you standing on the promises, or just sitting on the premises?" That is, do you claim and embrace and celebrate the great promises of God, underscored again and again in the Bible? Or do you just sit listlessly on the remote edges of the church and respond halfheartedly to its message?
Do God's promises inspire you, invigorate you, and strengthen you for the living of these days? Or do you forget those promises or ignore them, and consequently trudge sluggishly through life, with no zest, no fire, no heart, no excitement, no mission, and no purpose?
The folks at the American Journal of Preventive Medicine are right. Most all of us sit far too much. Dr. Moore is right as well. Spiritually, there is just far too much sitting on the sidelines and far too little active standing and participation!
By the way, Freddie Gage also was fond of saying that the average church was much like a football game, in that hundreds of people desperately in need of exercise often sit comfortably in the bleachers contentedly watching twenty-two individuals desperately in need of rest running up and down the field!
How are you spending your spiritual life? Are you using up your time just sitting by or are you actually standing up and joining in? Be careful! Too much of the former is deadly!
I leave you with this admonishment contained in the words from another beloved old hymn: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus!”
NEWS STORY SOURCE:
http://www.newser.com/story/231492/4-of-deaths-worldwide-due-to-sitting-for-too-long.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=foxnews&utm_campaign=rss
_health_syn
SEE ALSO:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160921095237.htm.
HYMN SOURCES:
https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/340 and
https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/870.
BOOK SOURCE: Moore, James W. Standing on the Promises or sitting on the Premises? Nashville, TN: Dimensions for Living, 1995. Dr. Moore is the author of over 40 best-selling books, most all of which are available for purchase online. You can read more about him and his publications here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Moore_(author).
The article makes reference to a study published the previous month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that found that sitting for more than three hours per day is responsible for 3.8%—or approximately 433,000—of all deaths worldwide every year. This study was based on data collected from fifty-four countries between 2002 and 2011.
Specifically, indications are that sixty percent of the world's population sits for more than three hours per day, with the average time spent sitting each day being approximately 4.7 hours. The highest amounts of sitting-related deaths were found to be in the Western Pacific and in parts of Europe.
Among those places topping the list were Lebanon and the Netherlands. Conversely, Mexico and Myanmar had the fewest sitting-related deaths.
The conclusion of the study by researchers was that eliminating sitting could increase overall life expectancy by 0.2 years, while reducing daily sitting time by just two hours could decrease an individual's mortality by 2.4%.
In simple words, this means that even sitting for thirty minutes less per day can have a reasonably significant impact on longevity. To quote the study's lead author: "It is important to minimize sedentary behavior in order to prevent premature deaths around the world."
As I read these statistics, I could not help but be reminded of an old hymn that many of us who are believers have sung down through the years titled “Standing on the Promises”.
Perhaps you are familiar with the words:
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
Including the repetition of the refrain, the singing of this hymn affirms one’s commitment to standing on the promises of God an astounding forty-one times! Yet, as I once heard famed evangelist, Freddie Gage, say, a far more accurate affirmation for most Christians might well be: “Sitting on the Premises”!
A number of years ago, picking up on this theme, Rev. James W. Moore actually wrote a book titled “Standing on the Promises or Sitting on the Premises?”
In the introduction to this wonderful work on the promises of God in the Bible, he states:
Let me begin with a question: "Are you standing on the promises, or just sitting on the premises?" That is, do you claim and embrace and celebrate the great promises of God, underscored again and again in the Bible? Or do you just sit listlessly on the remote edges of the church and respond halfheartedly to its message?
Do God's promises inspire you, invigorate you, and strengthen you for the living of these days? Or do you forget those promises or ignore them, and consequently trudge sluggishly through life, with no zest, no fire, no heart, no excitement, no mission, and no purpose?
The folks at the American Journal of Preventive Medicine are right. Most all of us sit far too much. Dr. Moore is right as well. Spiritually, there is just far too much sitting on the sidelines and far too little active standing and participation!
By the way, Freddie Gage also was fond of saying that the average church was much like a football game, in that hundreds of people desperately in need of exercise often sit comfortably in the bleachers contentedly watching twenty-two individuals desperately in need of rest running up and down the field!
How are you spending your spiritual life? Are you using up your time just sitting by or are you actually standing up and joining in? Be careful! Too much of the former is deadly!
I leave you with this admonishment contained in the words from another beloved old hymn: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus!”
NEWS STORY SOURCE:
http://www.newser.com/story/231492/4-of-deaths-worldwide-due-to-sitting-for-too-long.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=foxnews&utm_campaign=rss
_health_syn
SEE ALSO:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160921095237.htm.
HYMN SOURCES:
https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/340 and
https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/870.
BOOK SOURCE: Moore, James W. Standing on the Promises or sitting on the Premises? Nashville, TN: Dimensions for Living, 1995. Dr. Moore is the author of over 40 best-selling books, most all of which are available for purchase online. You can read more about him and his publications here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Moore_(author).