Stuffin Yourself Silly

It is not too uncommon for people to grab something, such as a bag of potato chips, and sit in front of the television. You continually dip your hand into the bag, and before you know it; the bag is empty. After all, who can eat just one chip, right? The next morning, it’s time to get on the scales, and you say to yourself, “Oh No!”, because you realize you had done something to your body the previous day that was unfavorable.

It shouldn’t be all to surprising that the Holy Bible talks about our physical health, including overeating which is also known as the sin of gluttony. It’s important to identify the difference between casual enjoyment of food and crossing that line where it becomes sin. So, let’s take a moment and see what the Bible has to say about this matter.

First, every Christian needs to realize that they are branded. Branded by God in the Person of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 6:19-20 tells us this very thing about our bodies and says we are to serve the Lord, because we were bought at a price.

With all that being said, it’s quite obvious that all eating can’t be sin or we, of course, would die from starvation. So we can serve the Lord by eating appropriately and keeping our bodies healthy, or we can destroy our bodies by committing gluttony and destroying our bodies. Eating actually becomes a sin when it takes two forms. They are when it harms the body and when it becomes an idol. Let’s take a look at both of these ideas:

Physically Harmful Eating

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

The first of the two problematic forms of eating is doing so in a fashion that harms the body. Stuffing yourself so that you’re gaining unnecessary weight, even if it’s unintentional, or causing various organs of your body to shutdown is both sinful and dangerous. Some people even goes as far as to eat food and then vomit out what they had just eaten; thinking it is a valid solution in maintaining appropriate weight. Make no mistake about it, this type of behavior can be extremely destructive to the body.

Idolatrous Eating

Phil 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

The second problematic form of eating is idolatrous eating. This is when munching on goodies becomes so important to you that it replaces your focus on the Lord. Just like anything, food can most certainly become a god, especially when we elevate it and consume it beyond what it is meant to be. Another thing to keep in mind is that idolatrous eating can go hand-n-hand with eating that is physically harmful.

Friends, it is my desire for you to be healthy. I’ll even admit I need to be more healthy. However, the first step in change is identifying problems so that action can be taken. If you have an eating problem, I would highly suggest taking action. It may take some time of prayer and meditating on the Lord to decide the right course of action. You may even need counseling or have to check into a impatient clinic if you have an eating disorder. The important thing is getting your life on track one step at a time if it’s not where it needs to be. Thank you for reading and God bless.