Gluttony

It all started by chocking on a piece of turkey, on Thanksgiving day. Nice start. Then I got on the scale and I am officially heavier than I have ever been. 267. Just a number right? Just the largest number I've personally attained to. Not a good number at all. Then I eat late, and so much, that I wake up chocking on acid reflux at 2 am. Nice. Then I opened my bible and came up with Isaiah 55: Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— Then I looked up the definition of gluttany, and here's what Wikipedia has to say: Who wants to admit to this right? Church leaders from the deeply-ascetic Middle Ages (e.g., St. Gregory the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas) took a more expansive view of gluttony, arguing that it also consists of an anticipation of meals, the eating of delicacies, and costly foods, seeking after sauces and seasonings, and eating too eagerly.[2] St. Gregory the Great, a doctor of the Church, described five ways by which one can commit sin of gluttony, and corresponding biblical examples for each of them:[3] 1. Eating before the time of meals in order to satisfy the palate. Biblical example: Jonathan eating a little honey, when his father Saul commanded no food to be taken before the evening.[1Sa 14:29] 2. Seeking delicacies and better quality of food to gratify the "vile sense of taste." Biblical example: When Israelites escaping from Egypt complained, "Who shall give us flesh to eat ? We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely ; the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks and the onions and the garlic," God rained fowls for them to eat but punished them 500 years later.[Num 11:4] 3. Seeking after sauces and seasonings for the enjoyment of the palate. Biblical example: Two sons of Eli the high priest made the sacrificial meat to be cooked in one manner rather than another. They were met with death.[1Sa 4:11] 4. Exceeding the necessary amount of food. Biblical example: One of the sins of Sodom was "fullness of bread."[Eze 16:49] 5. Taking food with too much eagerness, even when eating the proper amount, and even if the food is not luxurious. Biblical example: Esau selling his birthright for ordinary food of bread and pottage of lentils. His punishment was that the "profane person . . . who, for a morsel of meat sold his birthright," we learn that "he found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully, with tears." [Gen 25:30] The fifth way is worse than all others, said St. Gregory, because it shows attachment to pleasure most clearly. To recapitulate, St Gregory the Great said that one may succumb to the sin of gluttony by: 1. Time (when); 2. Quality; 3. Stimulants; 4. Quantity; 5. Eagerness In his Summa Theologica (Part 2-2, Question 148, Article 4), St. Thomas Aquinas reiterated the list of five ways to commit gluttony: Laute - eating food that is too luxurious, exotic, or costly Nimis - eating food that is excessive in quantity Studiose - eating food that is too daintily or elaborately prepared Praepropere - eating too soon, or at an inappropriate time Ardenter - eating too eagerly. Aquinas notes that the first three ways are related to the nature of the food itself, while the last two have to do with the time or manner in which it is consumed ...it is a defect to eat, like beasts, through the sole motive of sensual gratification, and without any reasonable object. Hence, the most delicious meats may be eaten without sin, if the motive be good and worthy of a rational creature; and, in taking the coarsest food through attachment to pleasure, there may be a fault."[4] in the Bible (King James Version)== Proverbs 23:20-21 "Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags." Proverbs 23:2 "And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite." Wow, what do you say to that, except, I am sorry Lord, please forgive me, I repent, you alone are God, and I will exalt You!

267 and counting

I eat too much. I know, everyone can say that right? Especially coming off our most ravenous holiday, thanksgiving. Here is a definition I hate looking up, something I've never wanted or allowed to be applied to me:

glut·tony

 noun \ˈglət-nē, ˈglə-tə-nē\

plural glut·ton·ies

Definition of GLUTTONY

1

: excess in eating or drinking

2

: greedy or excessive indulgence

But that definition actually fits me. It fits what I or anyone else does when we over eat, especially excessively. In fact there are many areas of my life where this definition could fit, but either way, it has to effect all areas of my life as well. I can't run as fast, I'm not supposed to live as long. All because I eat too much. If I obey my flesh, walk in my flesh, what will that lead me to? Won't it lead me to death? If I continue to walk according to my fleshly lusts, I will die in them.
I must choose life in every area of my life. Think about what I am over eating. It's not lettuce, though if I put enough dressing on it, that can apply too. It is't apples, or oranges. It's candy, cake, and here's the big one, holding more american hearts than almost any food; Ice Cream. I capitalize that on purpose, but I should really cap it all; ICE CREAM. It is too important, it holds too many hearts. There's others: CHOCOLATE. COFFEE. I am sure there are thousands that we could do this too, but the point is there should be none.
"No other god's before Him." Isn't this food thing a god, with a little g? Isn't it something we exult and make way too important? I think so. But it's sad. To me it's one of the more disgusting sins. Look at the outcome, look at how it affects people. It's not glorious at all.
I am 267 pounds and counting. That is officially the heaviest I have ever been in my life. If I continue that number will go up. If I stop, and repent, turn away from this sin, and do it no more. That number will go down. If I work at it really hard, that number can even go down fast.
God has called me to a life of prayer and fasting, that's what makes this even more sad. If my life showed disobedience, it could not show it more, than with a big belly. I can't hide that baby. It's there for the whole world to see. It's not mine though, it's not the real me. It is not who God made me to be. But isn't that what happens when we exult things above the real God. It messes everything up. It alters things, makes things dark instead of light. It transforms from light to darkness, even to death. Life, to death. The exact opposite that Jesus offers us. He, through His sacrifice, brings us out of death into a glorious life, an abundant life. So I have chosen to walk this abundant life out in my flesh, and cater to it, give in to it, and alter the abundance of love, joy, peace, over into gluttony. One produces life, the other death. One brings peace, joy, love. The other lust, pain and death. What kind of a trade is that?
I choose life. I choose to live that life God, the real God, intended me to. THat life filled with the purpose of God, and not self. A live lived for HIm and not me. I choose to exult Him as God instead of me.
In Jesus name, amen.

Diamonds or Love from a pure heart, which one will we choose.

I met a man who owned a diamond mine. It's funny, he actually didn't come out and say he owned one, in fact, he really never told me that he did. It was in an airport, not even sure where, Chicago, somewhere in Tx. It was somewhere I had never been before. We both had a long layover, and I sat at a table right next to his, both of us watching as the first presidential debate was ending. This man was in his sixties, and seemed to be in good shape. He spent quite a bit of his time in Africa, and it was a dangerous place. The food he had to watch out for, the people, and he could hardly keep employees, most of the people he could not trust.
This man was willing to risk his life to mine for diamonds in a country he really wasn't wanted in. He felt the prize was worth it. He was willing to give up on relationships here in the states, risk his life in a violent, foreign country, live in relative poverty when traveling there, in Africa, all because of the prize, the prize of diamonds.
He also had dealings in Dubai. Another country where it was safe, but you had to have the right relationships to operate in. Being a white American put him in jeopardy in both countries. Once he had the right relationships, he was able to operate safely, at least in Dubai. His business dealings helped him get the right relationships in the one country, but not really in the other.
Are we willing to risk our lives for the cross of Christ? Do we even take up our cross daily, deny ourselves, and follow after Him? We need to. There's something much more precious than jewels at stake in this life of mine. Christ wants to bring in the riches of love, joy, peace, all the things money can't buy. All of this we have here on this planet, no matter how much of it we have, will all fade away, except those things that really matter.
Let us pursue Love with a pure heart. Not mining for gold, silver, rubies or diamonds, but the precious blood of Jesus that cleanses us from sin, that makes us have entrance into heaven. No dirty mines there, just no more tears. This man I met, the one with a diamond mine, he had no relationships, no kids, no immediate family, and the girl he had, they just broke up. Seems this mine is not good for relationships. Which one will we choose, the path that leads to life, where there are few that find it? Or will we be passionate about this world, and the things of this world. Cashing after our diamond mines instead of pursuing Christ, passionately.
I hope we choose life, it's so much better than riches of this life.