Here’s the seventh of an eight-part devotional for men based upon my chapter on health in Coach Joe Gibbs best-selling book, Gameplan for Life , was featured by the Men of Integrity ministry of Christianity Today. I hope you enjoy the series. Here’s Part 7 of 8:
THE SERIES’ THEME: Healthy Through and Through. What does it mean to be a truly healthy man of God?
EXAMINE YOUR WHEELS
KEY BIBLE VERSE: No matter how much you want, laziness won’t help a bit, but hard work will reward you with more than enough. (Proverbs 13:4) Dig Deeper: Proverbs 20:4; James 1:2-4
One day, my wife, Barb, pointed out a nail in one of our car tires. All I could see was the head of the nail. No air was escaping, and we didn’t have time to get it fixed, so I said, “Honey, I think we can keep going.”
About 20 miles later, the tire blew. How I wished I’d heeded her warning and taken the time to repair the tire before it went flat.
Your four health wheels have many miles to travel. To become a highly healthy person, you’ll need to understand each wheel and take responsibility for your overall health.
I must warn you, though. It’s hard work. It takes time. Think about how complex your car is. It requires regular checkups and preventive maintenance. When it malfunctions, it often requires a professional’s care. Your body is hundreds of times more complex than any machine, and it requires even more special care.
Following God’s plan for being highly healthy may mean controlling your temper, eating better, exercising more, spending time in prayer, developing friendships, spending more time with your kids, or investing in your marriage. Becoming highly healthy requires a tough, honest assessment of your weaknesses, and then courage and a commitment to take action.
MY RESPONSE: I will write down two or three health-related areas I need to work on:
1)
2)
3)
THOUGHT TO APPLY: Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.—Brian Tracy (speaker, writer)
I’ve created an assessment tool you can use, for free, to measure your four wheels of health. You can access and download it from here.

You can also learn more about these principles in my book, 10 Essentials of Happy, Healthy People: Becoming and staying highly healthy. Autographed copies are available here.

Here’s the entire series:

• Part 1 – Introduction
• Part 2 – The Four Wheels of Health
• Part 3 – The Physical Wheel of Health
• Part 4 – The Emotional Wheel of Health
• Part 6 – The Spiritual Wheel of Health
• Part 7 – Examine Your Wheels
• Part 8 – Concluding Bible Study

Adapted from Game Plan for Life (Tyndale, 2009) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.