Overeating

This is a tough topic! It's the only sin of which I'm aware which is related to what society deems unbecoming, although at one time plumpness was a sign of beauty. Of course the sin of immodesty is mostly about appearance, but it's a situation where people, mostly women, decorate their flesh for titillation. Therefore, just as those who are risque in their dress and appearance may take offense of being compared to Jezebel, those Reubenesque men and women may also take offense at eating criticisms.

When scripture speaks of sin there are three outcomes for those to whom it applies: 1) ignore the criticism, 2) reject the criticism and subsequently become angry with the messenger, or 3) accept the criticism and make a change. I suppose that many may accept the criticism and fail to change, and others reject the criticism and change in spite of their anger!

So here we go! We shall walk the yellow-brick road to rejection or change as the reader strolls through this commentary. Before the walk starts though, let me point out that one road is less taken. It's the road whose gate is narrow. Reward lies on that road. On the other hand the other road leads to destruction and wide is its gate. What's at the end of the path may determine how the reader responds to this message!

First off, I can apply this to myself. I have been 40 pounds overweight, and frankly, Buddha and I had a tummy in common! Upon gazing at my bare belly's reflection in the door glass, I was disgusted. I thought (in my southern vernacular), "This ain't me. I'm skinny as a split rail!" However, flat mirrors don't lie. I had arrived. No longer was I a 140 pound weakling. I was a pig ready for market and I wasn't happy with my self!

To be honest my discontent wasn't about sin. It was about being unhappy with my appearance and fear of being disgusting to my wife! Only later did I consider the health and spiritual ramifications of a living sacrifice which was unfit! Yes, my body is a sacrifice to God!

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

This passage says much! It's imperative that the Christian be aware of something: the "other god" of whom God is jealous is YOU!" In order to please God, Christians not only believe in and accept God, but they are to cut off their own flesh as symbolized in baptism.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

What "old things" of the old creature pass away with righteousness? Sinful things. We, as Christians, are to submit to God and sacrifice our "self". That's our "living sacrifice"!  The Bible speaks of the idol Dagon being toppled in the presence (1 Samuel 5:1-3). Our flesh is our idol Dagon. Sins of the flesh are to be toppled!  There is one so often ignored!

Proverbs 23:21a " The drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty."

Philippians 3:18 "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"

Yes! Those who eat vociferously have a god right under their belt! It's their belly!  What's strange is that it's not even their belly they worship. It's the mere pleasuring of their taste buds! People don't overeat to satisfy their belly. It's to appease the self's taste buds.

This thought came to me while I was listening to a southern gospel quartet. It seems that most of these quartets, obviously righteous men and women, overlook an obvious sin. Many many are overweight! Let's stop for a moment. It's merely overeating. No fancy definitions are needed. It's consuming more than necessary to sustain our health. We all do that! However, there is a simple formula, with no room for magic potions: what we burn must exceed what we eat or it will be stored. Energy is stored as fat. Therefore, gluttony's victims are those who overeat without burning it off. Lazy people or those with little self-control are often overweight, although there are some who have genetic or hormonal issues. (It's ironic that overeaters who serve their god, their belly, makes their god fat)!

During the quartet's singing, they joked about their overeating and size. They were trivializing gluttony! Can you imagine if a gospel group standing in front of the church was making jokes about their sex addiction or drinking problem? This is the same thing! Sin is no laughing matter, yet Christians seem the most prone to weight gain. It seems most church fellowship is centered around overeating!

Therefore, we must submit to God! All that we have that he wants is us. Our living sacrifice must be presentable. We know from the Old Testament that the condition of the sacrifice is paramount. It's the best of the flock without a flaw! Knowing that, people still take that unhealthy person to the altar and supposedly give it to God all the while keeping their god, the belly! "I give you my 'all' Jesus, accept my addiction to food and the pleasuring of my taste buds!"

Of course we can make a partial sacrifice. Cain did that. He gave, but his offering wasn't pleasing to God! We can give God everything, but the very thing to which we cling the most! People can easily quit cursing, lying, stealing, etc.  but to have the self-control to eat in moderation is extremely hard, but according to God "it's our reasonable service!" It's not a suggestion; it's reasonable and possible!

Before one can be forgiven, the person must recognize that there is sin. Gluttony (overeating) is a sin. Next once the sin is confessed, there must be remorse of falling short in God's eyes. Then comes repentance and with repentance God forgives and ASSISTS! If you are sincere in your contrition God provides!

1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Part of the living sacrifice is submission to God. He takes our sacrifice and is pleased. A pleased God is a graceful God. He aids you with temptation and as such you with his assistance can bear it! He gives the sincere person self-control. We do it ourselves while we lean on him!

1 Corinthians 9:27a (ESV) "But I (Paul) discipline my body and keep it under control..."

What's good for Paul is good for us. Our job as Christians is to tame our god. In this case, it's our belly! If we place eating above God's will, we are just as sinful as the drunken person!

I hope that some see the light and are not offended. Sometimes what God expects hurts our god. Our feelings get hurt because what we read and hear applies to our lives. Not to pick on overeaters, many people have self-indulgence problems in other areas because that's how Satan steals our joy! If we overcome sin, then we can have joy in our lives again. Oftentimes, when one sin is conquered, it drives joyful people to overcome another sin! For myself, when I quit smoking I was enthused to work on other problem areas with the support of God! Thank God for his grace in creating change in our lives. Thank God for helping us to be new creatures in him!