It’s always bothered me that some preachers can rant about the evils of smoking while they are obese because after the ranting sermon they belly up to the buffet at the Golden Corral. They condemn the splinter in their neighbor’s eye but fail to see the double chocolate milkshake in their own. I think there are lots of reasons for this, but one big one is that gluttony is one sin that is still off limits in the south. You can talk about a lot of things, even sex. Just don’t mess with my dinner plate.
This has to change.
I’ve struggled with gluttony for years. I say it that way intentionally. It’s not a weight problem. It’s not that my Momma didn’t teach me how to eat. It’s not that I was spanked when I was little (or wasn’t spanked). It’s not that I don’t know how to eat healthy. I’m fat because I’m a sinner that would rather eat until I’m in pain than worship Jesus. Would I really eat like a pig if I was “walking in the Spirit”? Galatians 5:16-17 tells me I wouldn’t. This means that I have to tell God to take 5 while I pig out. He can come back when I’m done and ready to repent.
The difficult thing about gluttony is that, with this particular sin, you wear its effects around your waist for everyone to see.
So I’ve decided to do something about it, and not the normal something. You know what I mean. The “something” where you get up the nerve to go to the gym and eat carrots for a day. And then quit.
I’m taking a different tack this time. I’m asking the question, “If the gospel is the power of God, then can I apply the gospel even to how I eat? Can I find a way to worship Jesus with the way I eat?” I’ve started a group in our church where we are exploring this idea. Instead of recipe tips, the scale, weight, and self-image being at the center of what we are doing we will put God, His glory, worship and the gospel at the center. We will be asking the Holy Spirit to so deeply convict us of our sin and so overwhelm us with His glory that we begin to worship Him with fork in hand.
We’ve been meeting now for 2 weeks and so far it’s been powerful, at least for me. It’s a powerful thing when a small group of people decide to really take the mask off and tackle the big issues of living for Jesus.
I’ll keep you posted.
