Thoughts on gluttony

"and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony"-Proverbs 23:2

Why is that we Christians are prone to see the sin of the world around us, but are blinded to the sin of gluttony? We manage to recognize the big sins, but miss others, like gluttony. Interestingly, the early Catholic church viewed gluttony as one of the 7-deadly sins, but we seem to have lost that along the way.

What is gluttony? According to Wikipedia, gluttony is "over-indulgence and over-consumption." I would argue that for many of us from afluent countries, gluttony is a big problem. Just look around. Obesity is a growing epidemic, but even for people who are not obese, there are many more that are overweight. This seems particularly true in Christian circles.

You may be saying to yourself, I may be carrying a few pounds too many, but I am not a glutton. Really? How did you find those few pounds too many? The overwhelming majority of overweight people do not have a medical condition causing them to be overweight or unable to lose. Most of us get fat by eating too much food--in other words, gluttony.

Examine your life closely. Are you honoring God by eating with self-control?

Titus 2:11-12, "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"