Bon Appetit!

“A good report makes the bones fat.” Proverbs 15:30 

Excuse me, but you probably eat too much, and your diet contains too much fat, too many carbs and you sit around too much.  Obesity dominates the news these days. At least 64 million Americans meet the federal government’s criteria for the excess weight, and the rate approaches 50 percent among the elderly. The percentage of overweight children and adolescents more than doubled since the 1970s, making about fifteen percent of them now overweight. Authorities identify the primary causes as fast food, junk food and the lack of proper exercise. Ironically, for being a nation of fatties, we spend more money on weight loss programs than any country in history. Weight loss strategies run the gamut from aggressive treatment like stomach stapling or liposuction to the more passive restricted-intake diets. Diet pills, dietary supplements, shots and fasting fill up the middle ground. Those who need more help can seek out clinics, clubs, therapy and even hypnosis practitioners. And, after calorically-challenged people finally achieve their optimum weight, their ultimate goal is to curb their out-of-control appetite. 

Most agree that they could keep their weight down if they just didn’t love to eat so much, or at least eat so much food that was bad for them.  From a spiritual perspective, a healthy appetite for good food remains the best way to a strong inner man. David said, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.” Psalm 42:1. The soul thrives on an insatiable appetite for God. In fact, we gauge the measure our spiritual health by how much desire we have for godliness. Jesus forever established this standard when he taught, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6. He differentiated between appetite for anything and appetite for righteousness. Filling up on non-nutritious food may suppress the hunger and thirst for a while, but eventually, it leads to a breakdown in health. 

One of the most effective strategies Satan can use against us is to either to fill us up on junk food or take away our appetite altogether. His first ploy can easily be seen in our growing preference for fun, entertainment, materialism and pleasure. Whatever surpasses our love for God will eventually replace it. The second prong of Satan’s strategy is appetite loss. Physically, when people lose their appetite, food becomes irrelevant. Nothing sounds good. Likewise, if people lose their appetite for spiritual things, then the gospel, the church and God become irrelevant. The enemies of Christ have discovered that they need not destroy Christianity; they only need to render it unnecessary. Without understanding sin, there is no need for Calvary. If there is no judgment, there is no need for a savior 

Appetite loss happens by the onset of sickness or by tricking the body into feeling full. Thus, people do not always recognize the danger of spiritual appetite loss. When passion for God dissipates, the slumbering soul may become oblivious to the crisis. The huge job facing the church today is to help this generation maintain a healthy appetite for God. This will take a renewed commitment to teach the most basic of spiritual laws: sin and salvation. The world needs to know more than just the how of doctrine. It must constantly and effectively be taught the why. 

You are what you eat.  What have you been eating lately?