We have looked at many amazing things about honeybees and their activities and in turn have seen the spiritual parallels that we can apply to Christianity, to the Church, and to our individual lives. This week we will look at the product of these hard-working bees—yummy, nutritious honey—the only food source consumed by humans that is produced by an insect. All natural, with a host of health benefits, honey can truly be seen as a miracle food. It’s been used for centuries as a food, medicine, and for skin care.
Here are some of the nutritional and medical facts about honey (NOTE: This applies especially to raw, unprocessed honey. When honey is processed—heated and pasteurized—the pollen, enzymes and some of the nutrients are filtered out or destroyed).:
1. Sweetener:
Honey is a healthy, natural sweetener containing no man-made chemicals. It is, in fact, the world’s oldest sweetener, with 60-64 calories per tablespoon.
2. Energy:
A spoonful of honey provides a great energy boost, for it is 80 percent carbohydrates. It helps with
muscle fatigue and endurance because it contains a combination of glucose for instant fuel and
fructose which is absorbed over time.
3. Blood Sugar Regulation:
Because the sugars in honey are absorbed into the bloodstream at different rates, honey helps
stabilize sugar levels. Honey has a low glycemic index—it won’t cause a spike in blood sugar.
4. Immune Booster:
Honey has natural antioxidant and antibacterial properties that benefit the digestive system, which
plays a major role in the health of the immune system. Honey also has natural probiotic properties.
5. Wound Healing:
Honey has been used for centuries to help speed the healing of wounds and burns. The natural anti-
bacterial properties and the fact that it is slightly acidic, help honey reduce inflammation and
infection and reduce the time it takes for wounds to heal. It can slow the growth of bacteria that
cause infections in wounds.
6. Anti-Allergy:
Honey has been found to help relieve the symptoms of allergies and help the body build up
resistance to them, especially when the honey was produced in the same area where the allergies
occur.
7. Sore Throats:
Honey helps to soothe and heal sore throats due to its excellent anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory
properties. Honey also contains small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, an effective antidote to the
bacteria that cause sore throats.
8. Cough Remedy:
Honey helps reduce the severity of coughs caused by colds and flu—and with no negative side
effects!
9. Boost Memory:
The numerous antioxidants in honey appear to help slow down and reduce the damage to, and loss
of, brain cells brought about by aging. Honey also helps the body to absorb calcium, which is vital
to nerve health.
10. Anti-Cancer:
Honey has been found to help prevent cancer and even help treat cancer through its many
antioxidants. Cancer feeds on sugar, but not on the makeup of honey.
11. Sleep Aid:
Honey contains many amino acids, including tryptophan, which the brain converts to serotonin and
then to melatonin, a hormone that is important to the duration and quality of sleep.
12. Skin Care:
Honey has been used for centuries as a beauty aid to smooth and soften skin through its antioxidant
and anti-bacterial properties,
13. Weight Control:
A combination of honey and lemon juice in a glass of warm water, when taken first thing in the
morning, has been found to be an excellent means of weight control. It helps flush toxins and waste
from your body.
14. Digestion:
Honey helps keep the digestive tract working properly. Due to its anti-microbial properties, it keeps
bad bacteria under control while allowing the healthy bacteria to flourish. Honey also contains
glucose oxidase, and enzyme that is beneficial for alleviating gastritis.
15: Cholesterol:
Honey, which contains no sodium, cholesterol or fat, helps to reduce bad cholesterol.
The nutritional and medicinal properties of honey are quite amazing, but even more astounding is the fact that honey does not spoil. Archaeologists have found pots of honey thousands of years old while excavating ancient Egyptian tombs. The honey remained unspoiled! What is the secret to its eternal shelf life? It is the acidity, lack of water, and presence of hydrogen peroxide, which work in perfect harmony, allowing honey to last indefinitely. And by the way, this was all God’s design! Man had nothing to do with the development of bees or honey. It is totally a God thing! What an amazing God we serve!
Oh, yes, just as the “fruit of the bee hive”—honey—never spoils, God desires that we, as believers, also bear fruit that remains. Jesus told His disciples: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…” (Jn. 15:16). So, what kind of fruit can we bear that will remain? We can share the Gospel (the Good News) about Christ with others to help them come to have eternal life in Christ. Only what we do for eternity’s sake will remain. Everything else is temporal. Yet, on what do we so often focus most of our time? Like the old chorus goes: “With eternity’s values in view, Lord, with eternity’s values in view; may we do each day’s work for Jesus, with eternity’s values in view.” Let’s learn from the honeybees and bear some fruit that will be healthy and nutritious and “fruit that will remain.”
Forever His,
Pastor Dave
Wisdom of The Week 