A neighbor told me that his friend died on Thanksgiving night because he ate too much. Thinking this was a joke, I asked “How did that happen!?” My neighbor said “Yeah, he ate so much that when he laid down on his bed he threw up and died.” His brother standing there confirmed this, and I responded involuntarily “That's terrible!” “Yeah,” my neighbor said, “But at least he died full.”
God gives His children a warning about the consequences of sin, through Micah the prophet: “You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty.” Micah 6:14. This is a perpetual feeling of emptiness. I do not have to look far to find others and sometimes even myself trying to fill that sense of emptiness, and choosing empty pursuits in an unconscious effort to fill an empty soul. A believer in Jesus knows that physical food does not make the soul full. Food is for sustenance, for energizing the body to continue its life functions. Overeating of food and over-indulgence in the pleasures of food is unhealthy, gluttonous, and idolatrous. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, and ask Him to be Lord of our appetites. You were bought with a price; therefore honor God in your body! I Cor. 6:20
The Bible says, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Proverbs 23:20-21. Proverbs 23:2 proclaims, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.” Okay, so that last one sounds extreme. But gluttony is extreme. Yes, eating too much food is one of those supposedly “legal” addictions so common in America, but followers of Jesus should recognize our need for self-control in this tendency to over-eat. Obesity kills.
I just now headed out of my office for something, and found myself reaching for one of my wife's delectable rebel bars. Why!?! I had eaten two at the supper table! So I willed myself to say “No!” to that temptation to eat something fattening and unhealthy on a full stomach, but instinctively opened the refrigerator to look inside. What was going on? Without realizing it, I was feeling a need for something even though I was not the least bit “hungry” physically. This is an area of my life that the Spirit wants me to grow in. Bring those feelings of emptiness before God, who says “Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” Isaiah 55:2. Receiving spirit food from our Heavenly Father is the best source of energy and health that we could pursue. Will you take time to listen to Jesus today? He said “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:32. What is your food?
God gives His children a warning about the consequences of sin, through Micah the prophet: “You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty.” Micah 6:14. This is a perpetual feeling of emptiness. I do not have to look far to find others and sometimes even myself trying to fill that sense of emptiness, and choosing empty pursuits in an unconscious effort to fill an empty soul. A believer in Jesus knows that physical food does not make the soul full. Food is for sustenance, for energizing the body to continue its life functions. Overeating of food and over-indulgence in the pleasures of food is unhealthy, gluttonous, and idolatrous. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, and ask Him to be Lord of our appetites. You were bought with a price; therefore honor God in your body! I Cor. 6:20
The Bible says, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Proverbs 23:20-21. Proverbs 23:2 proclaims, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.” Okay, so that last one sounds extreme. But gluttony is extreme. Yes, eating too much food is one of those supposedly “legal” addictions so common in America, but followers of Jesus should recognize our need for self-control in this tendency to over-eat. Obesity kills.
I just now headed out of my office for something, and found myself reaching for one of my wife's delectable rebel bars. Why!?! I had eaten two at the supper table! So I willed myself to say “No!” to that temptation to eat something fattening and unhealthy on a full stomach, but instinctively opened the refrigerator to look inside. What was going on? Without realizing it, I was feeling a need for something even though I was not the least bit “hungry” physically. This is an area of my life that the Spirit wants me to grow in. Bring those feelings of emptiness before God, who says “Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” Isaiah 55:2. Receiving spirit food from our Heavenly Father is the best source of energy and health that we could pursue. Will you take time to listen to Jesus today? He said “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:32. What is your food?
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