After 13 years as
the pastor of Long Branch Baptist Church in Green-Ville, S.C, the Rev. Sean
Dogan, a short, stocky man with a sculpted goatee had given over 400 eulogies
for his parishioners, most of whom had died from heart disease, diabetes,
obesity or stroke. And after each funeral he’d sat down with friends and
families of the deceased to a meal of fried chicken, mac and cheese, and
collard greens boiled in fatback.
Then one day five years ago, Dogan
had a revelation: It was the food that was killing his people. So on a bright
Sunday morning, he stepped up to the altar with a small scale, and for all to
witness, the reverend weighed himself. It was a high drama at Long Branch, but
Dogan wanted to make a point: Like many in his congregation, he was overweight.
The time for change, he declared with fire-and- brimstone, urgency, had come.[1]
When I read that article it made me
wonder. Certainly, I did not make 400 eulogies for our church, but what struck
me was that perhaps if I weighed myself in front all of you like that pastor
did; I too might be overweight. Is that a concern? Yes it is for me; given my
background.
On my 50th Birth day I
wrote in my journal, “I want to live the next 30 years of my life loving,
knowing, and serving God together with my wife.” If I like to reach that goal I
need to make some drastic changes in my life; especially in the area of my food
intake. My wife keeps reminding me that now that I am 50, I don’t need to eat
as much as I used to eat when I was 20.” Well may be it is about time that I
pay attention to her advice.
A Baylor university study reveals
that “More than a third of American clergy are overweight or obese.”[2] Data from the
National Health and Nutrition Examination survey in 2010 suggests that 2 in 3
adults in the USA are considered overweight or obese.[3] The USA tops the list of
the prevalence of overweight people in the Anglosphere. Well you, may be
thinking “Pastor are you interfering with our eating habits like the government
does?” No not at all, but I do wonder how God feels about it? Does the Bible
have anything to say about food and eating?
When I was preparing this message my
wife jokingly said, “You need this more than anyone else!” I know when you talk
about “food & weight” it can be a sensitive subject for all of us but I
believe we need to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to us in the area of
food. This message is not aimed at any one particular person; I believe we all
need to pay attention.
God wants all of us to live
healthily and live joyfully. In order to live healthy we need to cultivate
healthy habits. I want to title this series, “Habits for Healthy Living”. The
first habit we want to cultivate is a healthy eating habit. We want to watch
what we eat.” I would like to share this morning about God’s provision of food,
its pitfalls and how to cultivate healthy eating.
I. GOD’S PROVISION OF FOOD:
What is food? Food is any nutritious
substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order
to maintain life and growth. On a
lighter note some people make Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Bacon as their
goal in life. Others see it as a constant battle in life. Others fool
themselves by saying they are on a diet. Yet others have a deep love for some
strange foods. Was food an afterthought of God or a forethought?
Food was
a forethought! It was all along in the plan of God. In Genesis chapter one we
read God created a perfect Eco system before he ever even created man. He
created light; water; the earth; vegetation; seed-bearing plants; all kinds of
fruit; living creatures in the waters; birds; animals; and livestock.
After
creating all that he said “Let us make man in our image; in our likeness, and
let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the
livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the
ground.” (Genesis 1:26).God well thought through all the details that were
necessary for mankind to survive on this planet earth.
Vs
29, “Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the
whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Chapter 2”15, “The Lord God took the man and
put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” This scripture
tells us that God has entrusted us with a responsibility to take care
of the earth.
Food
was God’s idea; and it is good for all of us.
God had all our senses in mind when he created food, think of the appeal
of a delicious red apple, the smell of meat roasting, the taste of chicken soup
or whatever favorite foods you may think of. He
wanted us to enjoy it; live by it and manage it wisely. But if we are not
careful that very good thing can become a pitfall. The devil could use for evil
what God meant for good. Let’s look at some pitfalls of food.
II. THE PITFALLS OF FOOD
In Genesis 3, we see how the devil
tempted Eve in the area of food. He came to her and said, “Did God really say
you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”
With that question the devil planted seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind and
Eve fell into the devils trap.
“When
the woman (Eve) saw, “that the fruit was good for food and pleasing to the eye
and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave
it her husband, who was with her.” (Vs6). The desire for the forbidden fruit
became a pitfall for Eve.
Fast
forward, hundreds of years to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
Remember he fasted for 40 days without food, and the devil said to him “If you
are the son of God tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is
written: Man does not live on bread alone, but one every word that comes from
the mouth of God.”(Matthew 4:3-4). Jesus overcame the devil.
Even
today the devil uses food to tempt us. How does he do that? He tempts us to think
that we have to eat more than what we actually need. In the process we eat
excessively. Let’s take honey for example, raw honey is referred to as “liquid
gold.” The medicinal applications to the skin and internal body seem limitless.
It is loaded with key vitamins (B1 – B6 and C) and it contains several
minerals. Honey is good for health, but excess honey consumption, as with any
excess sugar consumption, might result in insulin insensitivity and could cause
diabetes.
Proverbs
25:16 “Have you found honey? Eat only what you need that you not have it in
excess and vomit it.” If you ask the experts they tell you, that the principle
of weight gain is very simple: When you eat more than what your body needs,
regardless of whether it is sugar, fat, or honey, the excess calories are
stored as fat which in turns leads to weight gain.
Why
do people overeat? Several reasons; people over eat when they are bored,
frustrated; experienced loss in life or to overcome pain or when they are
depressed. A lot of people over eat because of soul hunger. They try to fill
that void with food; the more they try the emptier they become. God made food for man; but not man for food.
We eat to live but we don’t live to eat.
Please don’t get me wrong here; I am not against
food. Do you love food? I do too. No matter who you are we all have a natural
appetite for food. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that; however the problem
arises when that appetite takes control of us, the Bible calls it “gluttony.” Gluttony
is SIN. How can we overcome gluttony? We overcome gluttony by repenting and
with the help of God cultivating healthy eating habits.
III. CULTIVATING HEALTHY EATING HABITS
When it comes to cultivating healthy
eating habits where do we begin? I
am aware that many of us here are already aware of our need for change. I admire the health steps that some of you
have already taken by changing food habits, by joining a gym or other health
programs. As a church it is important to
remember that we can only work on changing our own wrong habits and not to be
critical and judgmental of each other. We support and encourage one another by
sharing our struggles and victories in this area.
I want to create an atmosphere of
openness; let’s keep the conversation going. I would love to hear from anyone
who might have creative ideas on how we as a church can move towards better
health. Here are a few suggestions in case you are wondering where to start in cultivating
healthy eating habits. Pause and
thank God before you eat your meals, food is a gift to be received with
gratefulness. Every good gift comes from our heavenly father.
I am not here to tell you what to
eat and what not to eat. Let the Holy Spirit convict you on that. In the Apostle
Paul’s time there were some people who became legalistic when it came to food
so this is what he had to say to them. I Timothy 4:3-4 “They forbid people to
marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be
received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For
everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received
with thanksgiving.”
As much as possible slow down and
enjoy your food mindfully. Avoid eating
on the run or while reading or watching late night TV. Mealtimes are great opportunities for
families to connect with each other. We find them important for the overall
wellbeing of the family. In ancient Israel, in Jewish homes the fathers used
meal times to instruct their children in the ways of God. The early Church met
in homes daily over meals and fellowshipped. That’s why we encourage community
meals in our church.
After listening to this message you
may be feeling convicted by the Holy Spirit; if you are struggling in the area
of food you need to repent of your poor eating habits. Ask God to give you
creative strategies to fight your battles. Remember, healthy living does not happen
by chance, it takes determination and hard work but it is worth it. I believe
it is time for change and it is time for a new beginning. Healthy living starts
with healthy eating.” Amen
