What is your object of worship?

Phillipians 3:19--Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Listening to Mark Driscoll today, I recognized that I have certainly had occasion (too often, I'm afraid) where my god was my stomach. I thought about food, I desired food, and I worshipped food, even if I didn't call it that. Perhaps my gluttony is an act of misplaced worship.

"food" references in the book of John

I have been reading through the gospel of John and there are a couple of verses related to food.

In 4:34, "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work."

6:27, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you."

6:35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

The message to feast on Jesus is quite evident here. I am often convicted that when I am bingeing, I have a "wrong focus" and that if I were truly seeking "the bread of life," my desire for food that spoils would disappear.

Observations from a binge

As a psychologist, my self-diagnosis is that I have a binge eating disorder.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, here are the criteria:

1) Eat much more quickly than usual during binge episodes.
2) Eat until they are uncomfortably full.
3) Eat large amounts of food even when they are not really hungry.
4) Eat alone because they are embarrassed about the amount of food they eat.
5) Feel disgusted, depressed, or guilty after overeating.

That's me to a "T".

I am at the end (I pray) of a 7 day binge beginning on my birthday. I gained 19.2 pounds in those 7 days. Here are some observations:

• When I am eating well, I eat 3 meals and perhaps 1 snack--when bingeing, I eat my 3 meals but also eat much more between meals.
• When I am eating well, I eat a balance of whole grains, lean protein, fruits, vegetables, etc.--when bingeing, I eat a very high fat/high carbohydrate diet.
• When I am bingeing, I feel "icky." I wake up feeling hung-over. I have headaches and a general feeling of sluggishness.
• Every day during a binge, I wake up thinking "I am done with this" and then I begin to think "well, one more day would be fun" and I start to think about how I can get my next fix.
• When bingeing, I back off on my exercise, though I didn't stop this time (Thank God!).
• I eat a lot in private when I am bingeing. I look for excuses to sneak out of the house and go eat. Needless to say, Halloween is not a great time to be having a binge.
• When bingeing, I think about not much else other than food. I become aroused by it.
• I don't have to pee as much (I assume because of water retention).
• I have to poop a lot more (I assume because of more gross consumption).

I have to keep remembering I Corinthians 6:12 and live it! "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Keeping up with the Jones's

I was having a conversation with a group of people who were asking about my weight loss last night and I got to thinking about "keeping up with the Jones's." This phrase incited when people are trying to keep up with the amount of stuff other people had, but I think it can relate to a covetous heart in general.
Take weight loss for example. I have often heard people say, "I wish I could eat as much as him and stay skinny, but I have to watch everything I put in my mouth." I have two thoughts on that. First, that friend probably puts less in his mouth than you think he does and second, even if he does eat more, that isn't the hand you were dealt. Stop using someone else's metabolism as an excuse to be gluttonous. Eat the way God intended and don't worry about what someone else can or cannot do.

Proverbs 1:31 "they will eat the fruit of their ways, and be filled with the fruit of their schemes."

In this passage, the author is writing specifically about those who reject God and wisdom, choosing instead to hate Knowledge. When I read this verse, I am struck that when we are ignorant, we basically reap what we sow or "are what we eat."

With regard to our eating, if we choose to reject the knowledge that most of us have, we will "eat the fruit of our ways," which will lead to gluttony and obesity.

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"

A beneficial perspective

In I Corinthians 10:23, we read "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive." I have been using this statement as a touchpoint lately. There are so many things that we encounter in life that are permissible, but I believe we should be asking ourselves, "is it beneficial or constructive?"