There is an obvious elephant in the room (if you’ll pardon the expression) when we gather as the Church. We joke about it and say, “too bad,” or “well, that’s just him.” With other sins, we will call them out for what they are. If we found someone drunk, we would confront that brother or sister, especially if he or she were abusive. If a brother and sister were committing adultery, likewise, we would acknowledge this to be evil and would speak to it. But as we gather around the potluck table, we smile and say, “It’s no big deal – just a little extra bite of this lovely treat, or that amazing casserole.” But if we were to look around the Church with open eyes, we would see a huge percentage of the our brothers and sisters are trapped in gluttony, many of whom have grown obese, yet we do not love them enough to speak to them about their sin. I was one of the trapped for a large part of my life, left unhindered to follow my merry, gluttonous way to death.
Food in itself is not sinful. God has given us such amazing foods to eat, a wondrous variety of vegetables, meats, grains, fruits, dairy. He even gave us the sweet of the honey comb and sugar cane. Eating these things, and savoring their flavors is no sin. But we often over-do our eating. Instead of eating to feed the body, we eat to comfort our disappointments or to continuously indulge our desire for chocolate (for instance). Our bodies tell us we’ve had too much, but we still eat “just one more bite.”
When we do that, we take God’s gift of good food and let it make of us slaves.
God knows this about us, that we are prone to let our appetites take control and make us undisciplined. He even warned Israel about this proclivity when they were first freed from slavery to Egypt. He wrote a song and had Moses teach it to the people just before his death.
“[The Lord] fed them yogurt from the herd and milk from the flock, together with the fat of lambs. He gave them choice rams from Bashan, and goats, together with the choicest wheat. You drank the finest wine, made from the juice of grapes. BUT Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.” (Deuteronomy 32.14-15. NLT)
Perhaps that’s a song we should start singing at church right along with Amazing Grace. Those words with a catchy tune that comes to mind as I’m tempted to take that extra bite might help me stop and put the fork away.
But what about those times that we don’t know the next time we’re going to get to eat? I’ve lived overseas and traveled quite a bit. For years I would gain weight each time I made my 30 hour trip to the other side of the world. I would gain weight because I would eat EVERYTHING that was served to me, telling myself, I don’t want to risk being hungry while I’m traveling. That would be bad, painful. Only thing is, I ate so much more than my body needed, especially considering that most of the time I was sitting and sleeping and watching movies. But then, once I arrived at my destination, I continued to eat more than I needed, saying, “I don’t know when I’ll get real potato chips again.” Munch, munch. “Oh, I just love the street vendors in this country. I need to enjoy it while I can,” continuing to shovel food in long after I quit tasting it. Or, “I know we’re going to eat dinner in an hour, but it’s just a small caramel, mocha frappuchino with whipped cream.”
It was as if I didn’t trust God to every give me good food again. Like I was one of the starving orphans in Oliver. Just like when we allow sin to entrap us into slavery, God knows we are prone to doubting Him and His provision. Fortunately, He is gracious and is willing to tell us over and over in the Bible that He will take care of us and will provide our needs.
“By these mighty acts He nourishes the people, giving them food in abundance,” (Job 36:31. NLT).
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6.26. ESV).
This is my favorite: “For it was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.” (Psalm 81.10. NLT)
I LOVE that. All we have to do is open our mouths like baby birds. God will fill our mouths with just the right amount. We can trust Him to provide.
What’s more, God delights to give us good food. He made our taste buds so they could enjoy the variety of sensations – sweet, sour, salty, savory, bitter, and every combination of these. But in all things, He wants to be acknowledged as the provider of the feast. Like the Psalmist said, “You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied” (Psalm 104:28. NLT). Or in a different psalm, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 24:8). Eating in this way is not sinful. Indeed, it can be an act of worship if we eat with thanksgiving, recognizing God’s provision.
I find I am most successful in my eating when I eat as an act of devotion to God. It’s then I eat only when I’m hungry, listening to what type of food my body wants, eating slowly enough that my God-given “full meter” can tell me to stop before I’ve eaten even one extra bite. It’s then I am taking care of this body that is His temple. In this I honor God with my eating.
Here’s the thing: Eating only becomes a problem when food becomes more important than God. This is called idolatry and that is a VERY BIG DEAL. As Paul told the Philippians, “I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth” (Philippians 3:18-19. NLT).
Let there be no doubt in your mind: gluttony is idolatry. Gluttony is also greed. How about this frightening statement Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus: “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a person is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5. NIV).
Church potlucks are our favorite things to do. And it is not uncommon to see overweight pastors and worship leaders and Sunday school teachers gathered around the table. Are all these people sinning? If they put eating ahead of God, yes, they are. And since this is a form of greed, a form of idolatry, Paul said all those who practice gluttony will not have “any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God,” meaning “they are headed for destruction.” Wow!
Remember that verse about opening your mouth and God will fill it? The psalmist actually begins that thought with this: “you must not bow down before a false god.” God is jealous and wants to be the one who provides for us. But that’s our good news. The psalmist also said the God desires to “give us greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine” (Psalm 4:7. NLT).
So how do we do this? How do we eat to bring God the glory and to receive the joy He wants to give us? Our goal must be to live out 1 Timothy 6:8: “if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content,” (ESV).
Here are some practical ways that have worked for me as I seek to leave my gluttonous ways behind and to be content with “just enough.”
1. Confess your sin and accept that Jesus is the only way to stop sin. Putting Him first in your life is the only way to break your old, bad habits. When we live in devotion to Jesus, he makes us into a new person with new desires. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
2. Eat only when you’re hungry. Try drinking water instead to see if you are simply feeling dehydrated.
3. Eat smaller portions. Use a smaller plate or bowl.
4. Savor each bite. Take time to think about it and enjoy it and thank God for the great food. (I marvel at the number of meals I’ve eaten without tasting them! What a waste of good food! And what needless inches I added to my hips!)
5. Stop when you are full. (Hide what’s left on your plate with a napkin, or put it away for later.)
6. Get active. Muscle burns more calories than fat.
7. When you had a bad day and are tempted to reach for your favorite comfort food, try talking with God instead. Or reach for your Bible and read the next study in your workout routine.
One last thought. In John 6.33 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger.” If we eat a candy bar filled with nuts, we’ll still be hungry just a couple of hours later. If we have that full plate of barbecue because we “deserve it” after that hard day, we’ll be paying for that “reward” for a very long time. God made us to desire Him above all things. He is our best nourishment. He is our best reward. And He will fill us up with good things that have no nasty side-effects. If we truly hunger and thirst for righteous (Matthew 5:6) Jesus will satisfy us.
Faith Gym 