Eat and Be Content

Southern Seminary has a women's ministry called Pendergraph. Pendergraph sponsors about 1 event/month on campus for wives of students and for female students. Since I now fall into both categories, I decided that maybe I should try one of the events out. So, I called up Emily and we decided that last night we would brave Pendergraph together.

What I am about to say has completely nothing to do with this blog entry, but I believe that it is worth noting. Last night when we walked in, I promise you, that at least 15 of the 75 women in that room were either noticeably pregnant or had a newborn in their hands. This in and of itself is enough to deter any woman from attending seminary events--"It" really must be in the water!!!

Moving On...

The subject of last night's lecture was "Eat and Be Content." David Kotter, a man whose qualifications on speaking I cannot recall, gave a lecture on glorifying God in the way that we eat. Now, David Kotter is probably about 6'4 and seriously can't weigh more than 150 lbs. So, when he walked on stage, I will admit...I was skeptical. I wondered what this man could possibly tell overweight women about losing weight for the glory of God. FYI...Kotter normally gives 6 hour lectures on the topic, but he mashed all of his ideas into our 40 minute meeting last night.

The basis for his ministry stems from 1 Corinthians 10:31:
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

From this verse, he gathers that God is very interested in the way that we eat. Gluttony is often an unspoken sin. Kotter defines gluttony as "Habitually eating to excess." There are instances in the Bible where the Israelites or even Jesus himself sat down and feasted as a celebration. These feasts are not the gluttonous acts that Kotter speaks of. It is the daily decision to allow the amount of food we consume exceed the amount of food we actually need.

But there is a gospel solution to our problem of over-eating. Kotter said, "Jesus Christ died on the cross for me--to break the power of sin in my life." This includes the sin of over-eating. So, why does Kotter consider over-eating a sin? Well, he had a couple of reasons and I tend to agree with him.

Reason 1: Eating too much is a form of Idolatry.
Romans 16:18 says, "For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."

1 Corinthians 6:12-13 tells us, "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
Allowing food to come in and master your life...thus becoming the master that you serve...is idolatrous.

Reason 2: Foolish Eating is bad Stewardship--not knowing what is in the food that we are eating and taking care to ensure that what we put in our body is glorifying to God. We have a responsibility in being good stewards of the body that God gave us. We can do so by knowing what we're eating and eating Just Enough (Proverbs 25:16)

So, I know what you're wondering...thanks for all the Biblical reasoning...did Kotter give you any practical advice? Well, yes, to some extent, he did.

First and foremost: If we are full of Christ in our lives and feed ourselves with God's word, then we will be less likely to "satisfy" our hunger with food.

Second: The average person should have at least 25g of Fiber/day and less than 50g of Fat/day.

Third: Stay away from fat and carbs and lean towards protein and fiber.
Fourth: Share a food journal with an accountability partner. The key to this is finding someone who will lovingly rebuke you when you are failing to glorify God with your eating habits.

One fact I found interesting...3500 calories=1 lb. of fat. Walking 1 mile expends 100 calories. That means you would have to walk 35 miles to lose 1 lb. Sounds like eating healthy would be easier!

So, anyway, I would love to hear what you think about this topic. It is no secret that I have struggled with weight gain/weight loss for most of my life. There were about 3 years in college that I felt like I was at an "acceptable" weight. But, I traded marriage for my size 6 pants. LADIES...It doesn't have to be this way!!! I am figuring out that I have always lost weight for myself--to serve my own selfish desires. But, Kotter's whole purpose in this seminar was to convey that we can worship God with our bodies. That losing weight for ourselves will never work in the long run.

So, I leave you with this final verse. May you be encouraged!

"19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20