Confessions of a Glutton

My name is Judie and I am a glutton. Sounds kind of gross doesn't it? It is.

In order to write this, I did a quick word study on the word "gluttony". I found some things I did not know, and dispelled one belief that I thought I knew but I was wrong. What do you know about that? I will try to share as quickly as possible...

Raise your hand if you believe the "Seven Deadly Sins" are in the Bible....I DID TOO! But guess what? The seven deadly sins were a list compiled by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century. (I just love learning this kind of stuff!) His list included:

• Pride - because all other sins arise from pride. It makes one want to be more important than others.
• Envy - wanting something someone else has.
• Gluttony - overindulgence to the point of waste - nuff said.
• Lust - obsessive or excessive thoughts of a sexual nature.
• Anger - uncontrolled feelings of hatred.
• Greed - wanting more earthly possessions to the point of obsession.
• Sloth - Laziness - also the failure to love God with all your heart and soul.

I know what you are doing. You are quickly turning to your concordance because you know its there. You will undoubtedly come up with Proverbs 6:16-19: "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." See? Detestable, but not deadly. And not a mention of gluttony in the list!

Before we breathe a sigh of relief, let me assure you there are plenty of other verses that relate to gluttony in scripture. The one that jumped out at me was Proverbs 23:2, "..put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite." Yikes! I'm going to choose to believe that that is an example of the hyperbole the pastor was talking about in his sermon this past Sunday! But then there is Philippians 3... in verses 18 & 19 it talks of those who live as enemies of Christ. It says their god is their stomach. Ouch! I just like to eat. I don't want to be an enemy of Christ! 

The problem today, is that with all of the emphasis on being thin and eating right, gluttony has still become an acceptable sin. I'm not doing drugs, or smoking, or drinking. I'm just eating...and eating...and eating. In our Daniel Bible study we are talking about the culture of Babylon that surrounds us. Part of that culture was over indulgence and we have bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Any of you who have known me for a long period of time, know that this has been a struggle I have dealt with for many years. I have lost hundreds ( no exaggeration ) of pounds. I make many excuses.

• Its genetic - I was born this way. Many of the women in our family are obese. It is just something I can't help. I'm fat. It's who I am.
• Its environmental - I was taught to eat good southern cooking. Paula Deen, butter, bread, fried chicken. You know the drill.
• It's my husbands fault. Don't laugh. This is a challenge at our house because I am married to a picky, meat and potatoes guy. Seems pointless to make a meal for him and another one for me....
• I would rather be fat and enjoy the foods I like. Now we may be getting closer to the truth. 

The simple fact is - I choose what I put in my mouth. No one controls that but me.

Titus 2:11-13 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,           

(This is like the 'Just Say No' verse from the Bible).

I Corinthians 3:16-17

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

I am sacred. I am God's temple. With God's help I can control what passes through my mouth. I can be forgiven, but I have to repent and that repentance has to be reflected in a change. There are so many more verses I could list here, but you are tired of reading this by now. Just know that this blog was for me, but if it inspires you, I am all for it. With God's help, I am going to get this thing back under control.

I would like to publish a little disclaimer at the end here. There are always folks who tend to go to the extreme. I believe God expects us to use judgement and moderation in all things. This is not meant to give license to anorexia, starving yourself, or pushing your body to the breaking point in exercise. I see so many beautiful young women torturing themselves over their body image because the culture tells them that they are not thin enough when, in fact, they are a wonderful, healthy weight. If you are that person, all the above applies to you, too, only kind of in reverse. God's temple needs to be properly nourished - not starved or over fed. 

Love you All!!!!   Judie

P.S. If anyone is interested in a more complete list of scriptures, let me know and I will gather and post at a later date.  JB