In the first four articles under "Freedom, Faith and Fitness" we have been laying the foundation upon which we can build a biblical view of health and fitness.
We have looked at the first of four proofs that our bodies matter to
God--that they have value because God created them. We will continue
with our study into why we should take care of our physical bodies, but I
have had several requests to start addressing other aspects such as
nutrition and exercise. Therefore, today I want to start on a
sub-topic--the importance of what we put into our bodies.
I am painfully aware that this is a subject that probably a little too close to home for most of us. Nevertheless, it must be done. We will be looking at what Scripture has to say about a subject that affects every one of us--food. I tell me Pastor friends all the time that if they think that teaching about money in church is a hard sell, they should try talking about food.
Peak Performance
Question: If you owned a million-dollar race horse, how would you take care of it? Would you let him stay up late at night, drink sodas and double mocha lattes, eating pizza, donuts and fried foods? Would you let him lay around on the couch all day watching TV and playing video games? Of course not! Because if you did, he would be become fat, lazy and completely worthless as a race horse.
Maybe you prefer horsepower to actual horses. So let's change the scenario. Suppose you were handed the keys to this $200,000 Lamborghini Gallardo and entrusted with its upkeep. How would you take care of this car? What kind of fuel would you put in it? Regular unleaded? Diesel? Or course not! You would be putting the super premium in this baby. Without the proper fuel, the car cannot run at peak performance; it will not run the way it was designed to run. Can you imagine putting inferior fuel in the high-priced, high-performance machine you had been entrusted with? Of course not!
If we would take great care in how we treated a million dollar race horse or high performance car, shouldn't we take even better care of our bodies which are the temple of the Holy Spirit? Why do we put inferior fuel (food) into these infinitely more valuable marvels of engineering that God has entrusted us with? Putting the wrong kind of fuel into our bodies leads to 1) low energy, 2) low self-esteem, 3) relational conflict, and 4) lack of intimacy. We need to fuel our bodies for peak performance.
INTRODUCTION
If I had a dime for every time I heard someone tell me that God doesn't care what they eat, or how they are NOT giving up this or that food or drink... well, you know the rest. And every time I hear such a statement I cringe because it reveals a deeper and much more serious problem than just food. Are we really saying that there is an area of our life that God doesn't care about and has no business interfering in?
We know from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies belong to God, that they are His temple, and that we are to glorify Him in them. Built into this commandment is the understanding that our desires are subservient to His. As we are reminded in Scripture that our God is a jealous God. In the very first commandment given to Moses, God states:
"You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3 ESV)
Unfortunately, Philippians 3:19, tells us that for many people "their god is their belly." It is even more disturbing to read the entire passage.
"Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." (Philippians 3:17-19 ESV)
Paul begins by encouraging the Philippian church to imitate his example of Godly living. In direct contrast to Paul's good example, and others like him, verses 18-19 warns against following the example of those whose god is their belly, or appetites. In a broad sense this refers to all the physical desires of the flesh, but certainly includes the stomach and gluttony. In that sense, your god becomes your belly whenever your appetite dictates what you eat and drink regardless of the consequences to your health and the damage it does to your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul also says that these people glory in their shame. In other words they boast about the wrong that they are doing. When we boast about our large size, or our over-eating, or how we have built God a bigger temple, or that we will just get to Heaven sooner, we are glorying in our shame. We wink at our sin and cheapen the grace of God poured out at Calvary. When we do these things, Paul says we are enemies of the cross of Christ and that our end is destruction.
Instead of trying to figure out how far we can go without sinning in what we eat, we should be trying to figure out how we can please Him. After all, Scripture tells us that our FOOD SHOULD GLORIFY GOD!
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
How do we eat and drink to the glory of God? Does the act of praying over our meals cover this? One of my favorite foods used to be chicken fried steak. I'm talking about the real Texas chicken fried steak. The kind that's so big it needs it's own plate. So I go to the restaurant, eat a few rolls covered in butter and order a chicken fried steak swimming in a pool of cream gravy with a side of mashed potatoes, also covered in gravy, and some green beans and corn to make sure I get my veggies. And to wash it all down I order a big glass of sweet tea. Sounds good doesn't it? Or maybe that doesn't do it for you. So picture whatever your favorite meal is. Okay, so the food comes and what did I do? I pray and thank God for his provision. That's good. We should do that. The problem comes when I ask God to bless that food to nourish my body and then to use our bodies to His service. Really? That's not asking for a blessing, it's asking for a miracle. Imagine what God is thinking when we ask for him to bless food that defiles His temple. Now some people may argue that as long as you pray over your food it is sanctified and can't hurt you. But the expanding waistlines and accompanying health problems that plague the church are proof that God isn't honoring that prayer. Is it within God's ability to nourish our bodies with that kind of food? Of course it is. But should we even be asking for that?
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, Scripture records:
"Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"" (Matthew 4:5-6 ESV)
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." (Psalms 91:11-12 ESV)
The temptation was for Jesus to defy the laws of nature (gravity in this case) since God would not allow him to suffer the consequences (falling to his death). Jesus did not argue the point.
"Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"" (Matthew 4:7 ESV)
Instead of asking God to bless the food we have chosen, perhaps it would be better to pray before we order our food and ask Him to help us choose food that will glorify Him and nourish our bodies.
If we agree with Scripture that our body is a temple, and we agree with the first commandment that we are to have no other gods, and we agree that we should glorify God in what we eat and drink, it follows that we should be more careful and deliberate about what we put into our bodies. Ask God to help you make wise food choices that bring glory to Him and health to your body. Find someone to help hold you accountable to your commitment to a God-honoring nutrition plan.
If, like me, nutrition is your biggest struggle, never fear, in addition to delving further into why what we eat matters, I will also be posting nutrition advice from Scripture, science and experience. If there is a subject in particular you would like for me to address, just let me know.
Soli Deo Gloria!
I am painfully aware that this is a subject that probably a little too close to home for most of us. Nevertheless, it must be done. We will be looking at what Scripture has to say about a subject that affects every one of us--food. I tell me Pastor friends all the time that if they think that teaching about money in church is a hard sell, they should try talking about food.
Peak Performance
Question: If you owned a million-dollar race horse, how would you take care of it? Would you let him stay up late at night, drink sodas and double mocha lattes, eating pizza, donuts and fried foods? Would you let him lay around on the couch all day watching TV and playing video games? Of course not! Because if you did, he would be become fat, lazy and completely worthless as a race horse.
Maybe you prefer horsepower to actual horses. So let's change the scenario. Suppose you were handed the keys to this $200,000 Lamborghini Gallardo and entrusted with its upkeep. How would you take care of this car? What kind of fuel would you put in it? Regular unleaded? Diesel? Or course not! You would be putting the super premium in this baby. Without the proper fuel, the car cannot run at peak performance; it will not run the way it was designed to run. Can you imagine putting inferior fuel in the high-priced, high-performance machine you had been entrusted with? Of course not!
If we would take great care in how we treated a million dollar race horse or high performance car, shouldn't we take even better care of our bodies which are the temple of the Holy Spirit? Why do we put inferior fuel (food) into these infinitely more valuable marvels of engineering that God has entrusted us with? Putting the wrong kind of fuel into our bodies leads to 1) low energy, 2) low self-esteem, 3) relational conflict, and 4) lack of intimacy. We need to fuel our bodies for peak performance.
INTRODUCTION
If I had a dime for every time I heard someone tell me that God doesn't care what they eat, or how they are NOT giving up this or that food or drink... well, you know the rest. And every time I hear such a statement I cringe because it reveals a deeper and much more serious problem than just food. Are we really saying that there is an area of our life that God doesn't care about and has no business interfering in?
We know from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies belong to God, that they are His temple, and that we are to glorify Him in them. Built into this commandment is the understanding that our desires are subservient to His. As we are reminded in Scripture that our God is a jealous God. In the very first commandment given to Moses, God states:
"You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3 ESV)
Unfortunately, Philippians 3:19, tells us that for many people "their god is their belly." It is even more disturbing to read the entire passage.
"Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." (Philippians 3:17-19 ESV)
Paul begins by encouraging the Philippian church to imitate his example of Godly living. In direct contrast to Paul's good example, and others like him, verses 18-19 warns against following the example of those whose god is their belly, or appetites. In a broad sense this refers to all the physical desires of the flesh, but certainly includes the stomach and gluttony. In that sense, your god becomes your belly whenever your appetite dictates what you eat and drink regardless of the consequences to your health and the damage it does to your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul also says that these people glory in their shame. In other words they boast about the wrong that they are doing. When we boast about our large size, or our over-eating, or how we have built God a bigger temple, or that we will just get to Heaven sooner, we are glorying in our shame. We wink at our sin and cheapen the grace of God poured out at Calvary. When we do these things, Paul says we are enemies of the cross of Christ and that our end is destruction.
Instead of trying to figure out how far we can go without sinning in what we eat, we should be trying to figure out how we can please Him. After all, Scripture tells us that our FOOD SHOULD GLORIFY GOD!
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
How do we eat and drink to the glory of God? Does the act of praying over our meals cover this? One of my favorite foods used to be chicken fried steak. I'm talking about the real Texas chicken fried steak. The kind that's so big it needs it's own plate. So I go to the restaurant, eat a few rolls covered in butter and order a chicken fried steak swimming in a pool of cream gravy with a side of mashed potatoes, also covered in gravy, and some green beans and corn to make sure I get my veggies. And to wash it all down I order a big glass of sweet tea. Sounds good doesn't it? Or maybe that doesn't do it for you. So picture whatever your favorite meal is. Okay, so the food comes and what did I do? I pray and thank God for his provision. That's good. We should do that. The problem comes when I ask God to bless that food to nourish my body and then to use our bodies to His service. Really? That's not asking for a blessing, it's asking for a miracle. Imagine what God is thinking when we ask for him to bless food that defiles His temple. Now some people may argue that as long as you pray over your food it is sanctified and can't hurt you. But the expanding waistlines and accompanying health problems that plague the church are proof that God isn't honoring that prayer. Is it within God's ability to nourish our bodies with that kind of food? Of course it is. But should we even be asking for that?
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, Scripture records:
"Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"" (Matthew 4:5-6 ESV)
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." (Psalms 91:11-12 ESV)
The temptation was for Jesus to defy the laws of nature (gravity in this case) since God would not allow him to suffer the consequences (falling to his death). Jesus did not argue the point.
"Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"" (Matthew 4:7 ESV)
Instead of asking God to bless the food we have chosen, perhaps it would be better to pray before we order our food and ask Him to help us choose food that will glorify Him and nourish our bodies.
If we agree with Scripture that our body is a temple, and we agree with the first commandment that we are to have no other gods, and we agree that we should glorify God in what we eat and drink, it follows that we should be more careful and deliberate about what we put into our bodies. Ask God to help you make wise food choices that bring glory to Him and health to your body. Find someone to help hold you accountable to your commitment to a God-honoring nutrition plan.
If, like me, nutrition is your biggest struggle, never fear, in addition to delving further into why what we eat matters, I will also be posting nutrition advice from Scripture, science and experience. If there is a subject in particular you would like for me to address, just let me know.
Soli Deo Gloria!
I'm here to assist you in reaching your goals. You simply need to reach out. Contact me at http://www.freedomthroughfitness.com and let's start to make positive changes in your life.
Deryl Williams Duer is a former college minister and law enforcement officer who has transitioned his love for fitness, faith and freedom into a six-figure international company that now helps others live the life of their dreams.
Deryl founded Freedom Through Fitness with his wife, Tracy, after stepping onto the edge of physical and financial ruin. Having experienced a complete turn-around, they are now passionate about offering hope and support to those who are dissatisfied with their current situation and desire to live a healthier, more productive life.
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Deryl Williams Duer is a former college minister and law enforcement officer who has transitioned his love for fitness, faith and freedom into a six-figure international company that now helps others live the life of their dreams.
Deryl founded Freedom Through Fitness with his wife, Tracy, after stepping onto the edge of physical and financial ruin. Having experienced a complete turn-around, they are now passionate about offering hope and support to those who are dissatisfied with their current situation and desire to live a healthier, more productive life.
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