Gluttony

            Part of my sermon Sunday morning will deal with gluttony. Gluttony is not about one’s size. There are some big people in this world who are in total control of their diet. And there are some skinny people who are gluttonous.

            I know because before my metabolism changed, I could eat whatever I wanted  and it would not affect my body. As a matter of fact, when I was 6 foot 1 and 125 lbs., I tried to eat everything I could. I still could not put on weight. (That is not the case now, I assure you!)

            I developed some bad habits. Can I confess to you my gluttony story?

            When Judy and I first got married, she came to our apartment one evening and said, “I have great news.”

            I asked her what that news was.

            She told me, “I bought a box of chocolate pudding pops from the store.”

            I said, “Oh, no. I wish you had not done that.”

            She asked me, “Why?”

            I said, “Because I cannot stop once I start. I love them so much I just keep on eating them. I could eat that whole box.”

            She said, “You could not either! There is no way you keep that whole box.”

            I said, “Yeah, I really could.”

            She said, “Let's see you eat that whole box.”

            I said, “Okay. But I am going to do this only to show you that I really mean what I say.”

            I proceeded to eat the entire box of pudding pops.

            I remember it as being a box of 12. Judy remembers it as being a box of 24. Either way, that was not a healthy thing for me to do.

            Incidentally, a lot of times you'll hear about people doing something like that, and they get so sick, they will never eat another one again. I did not get sick. And I do enjoy them to this day. Moreover, I am happy to say that I have grown in Lord somewhat, and so now I can somewhat control myself. But there was a time when it was a struggle for me. And the best thing to do was to keep them out of the house.

            What about you? Do you have your version of pudding pops that you have struggled with?

            The Bible talks a lot about gluttony. There is a fascinating section in Proverbs 23 that goes like this:

   1 If you sit down to eat with a ruler,

       notice the food that is in front of you.

 2 Control yourself

       if you have a big appetite.

 3 Don't be greedy for his fine foods,

       because that food might be a trick…

6 Don't eat the food of selfish people;

       don't be greedy for their fine foods.

 7 Selfish people are always worrying

       about how much the food costs.

    They tell you, "Eat and drink,"

       but they don't really mean it.

 8 You will throw up the little you have eaten,

       and you will have wasted your kind words (Proverbs 23:1-3, 6-8.) NCV

            Another says, 19 Listen to me, my children!
Be wise and have enough sense
to follow the right path.

20 Don’t be a heavy drinker
or stuff yourself with food.

21 It will make you feel drowsy,
and you will end up poor with only rags to wear (Prov. 23:19-21.) CEV

            We all know that gluttony is eating too much. However, do we know that gluttony is misdirected hunger? Christian minister Rick Ezell writes that the problem with gluttony is that it seeks to feed the soul with food for the body. It can cause a person to become so full in his stomach that he loses his appetite for God. A gluttonous person has not only a misdirected hunger but also a misplaced God.

            Let God control your appetite for Food. If you do, he can control your other appetites as well.

The Photo

            Defeating the sin of gluttony is hard. I read about a woman who decided that her added weight reflected the fact that she ate too much. Consequently, she did everything she could to lose weight. 

             She tried diets; she tried exercise; she even tried pills. Nothing worked… until she placed on the door of her fridge a 12 x 16 photo. The photo was of a physically striking woman: thin, beautiful, perfect figure… dressed in a bikini. Whenever the lady craved a snack and went to her fridge, that photo motivated her greatly.            

            Over the course of the next month, she lost 10 pounds. 

            Unfortunately, her husband gained 20 pounds!

            When it comes to regulating your appetite for food, the same plan of attack does not work for everyone. The important thing that applies to all is the understanding that our relationship with food is an outward manifestation of our inward relationship with God.

            When we control our appetite for food, it demonstrates that God is controlling us.

Source: THE 7 SINS OF HIGHLY DEFECTIVE PEOPLE by Rick Ezell

So Much To Do

            A preponderance of stories exists about Winston Churchill’s encounter with a group of ladies from the Temperance Movement. World War II had recently ended, and the women were clearly agitated about reports of his drinking.

            One version has the movement’s spokeswoman admonishing Churchill, “Mr. Prime Minister, we are advised that if all the brandy you had drunk during the war were poured into this room, it would come up to here?”

            The woman then held her hand at a point about halfway to the ceiling.

            The Prime Minister looked at her hand, then at the floor, then at the ceiling, and finally at her. “My dear lady,” he said, “so little have we done; so much have we yet to do.”

            I don’t know how strategic it is to join a temperance movement, but the thought of temperance is a healthy one. Take eating, for example. Eat too much, and we are guilty of gluttony. Eat too little, and we risk harming our bodies through self-starvation.

Food Porn

            Sarah Gim offers Internet users a website where they can click on images of food. Recipes are often posted alongside these dishes, which are dressed up to look delectable. The word “photograph” does not seem to do justice. Viewers can drool as their gaze lingers on the images.

            Guess what this site and sites like it are called in our Internet culture’s current vernacular? Food porn.

            Only in a country as sensual and affluent as the United States can citizens elevate eating to an expression of lust in flesh.

            I was surprised when I looked at how many times the Bible talks about gluttony. Here is one, “Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags” (Prov. 23:20-21.) ESV

            The way we treat food is an external manifestation of what lies in our hearts.

            Source: “Los Angeles Times” March 31, 2011

Gluttonous Dogs

I read, this weekend, that veterinarians in Great Britain are beseeching dog owners to not give their pets so many treats and table scraps. It seems that their animals are becoming overweight and not exercising enough.

I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about this, but I know how I do feel – convicted. My guess is that the dogs’ masters are projecting upon their animals the same desires that they have. These actions from the masters also reflect their lack of self-discipline. Unfortunately, the humans are hurting the health of the animals, just like they are hurting their own health.

What an indictment. I see this report as a great word picture for where we are in Western society today. We don’t govern our appetites; our appetites govern us. I suspect that when Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me..." he knew who his competition was—us.