There’s food for thought . . . food for Spiritual nourishment . . . food for physical nourishment.
At the moment, I want to share some thoughts regarding the latter … which many will categorize under the heading of “dieting.”
Dieting … we hear so many talk about doing it, trying to lose weight. Taking advantage of what’s always on the minds of so many, there are virtually non-stop ads on television for diet plans that supposedly make losing so easy. While some being promoted have been around for a long time, every few weeks you’ll suddenly see a new book being offered, promoting a “newly discovered” approach or concept to help you eat better and lose weight easier.
You may recognize where I’m going with this because … there’s one plan available that’s absolutely free – all you need to do is open your Bible!
Years ago, in my first reading of the Old Testament Book of Daniel, I realized that right here was the Christian Diet Plan … nothing else is needed. Well, not quite everything, but I’ll get to that in a moment.
Picking up with Verse 5 of Chapter One, here’s all you really need to know and the guidance to follow:
The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
Unless you have a distaste for all vegetables, the only elements left for accomplishing this task of reducing or stabilizing your weight and feeling and looking healthier are: Developing the resolve/commitment to follow the Plan and maintaining the willpower necessary not to stray, even after you’ve achieved your desired weight.
Just like living a full Christian life, it’s a daily walk and effort … not a now-and-then action that can be compromised.
I speak from experience. I was a skinny little kid until I had my tonsils out for a second time at age 7. After that, the pounds just rolled into my body. From then on I had my ups and downs until, finally, in 1971 I mentally decided that enough was enough and during that year lost nearly 60 pounds. Since then, except for a couple of very brief periods, I have managed to stay within a 10-pound range of that goal of 43 years ago, but it a daily regimen.
If you are fighting this on-going battle, my prayers are with you!
Marlin
