Devotion #8

Hi, Everyone. Thank you for the feedback yesterday. I do want to say, in advance of today's devotion, that for me overeating is sin. I base that on James 4:17, "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it" (NLT). This is not intended to condemn anyone. The following is from my personal journal dated April 16, 2007. This morning the Lord so gently talked to me about overeating, continuing to eat past the point of receiving all I need to sustain my life. I realize that whenever I give in to cravings, I choose to gratify my flesh over enjoying the presence of God. While I recognize that overeating is a sin, in general, it is much harder to "own" it as MY sin. I took that to God in prayer, and He reminded me of the cross. God lovingly reminded me that my sin of overeating was nailed to the cross, along with all the other sins of the entire world--past, present, and future. He gently told me that I can "own" my sin then lay it down before the cross, for the price has been paid and reconciliation assured. My Father led me to Colossians 1:22, "He has now reconciled [me] in His fleshly body through death, in order to present [me] before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach." He also led me to 1st Peter 2:24, "He Himself bore [my] sins in His body on the cross, so that [I] might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds [I am] healed." It is God's work to remove my sin from me and to heal me from going astray (even in overeating), and He has done that work through the sacrifice of my precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Just as there is no other way to solve the sin problem than Jesus, and just as there can be no healing outside of Jesus, He is the answer to my sin problem of overeating and my need for healing from gluttony. The work's been done. All I have to do is choose the answer. I choose Jesus! God asked me if I could picture myself before Him as holy, without blemish, and free from accusation. I have accused myself for SO long, which I now see was the "accuser of the brethren" [Satan] at work. In prayer, I pictured myself at the foot of the cross, with grace flowing down like thick, anointing oil, onto my head, into my mind, onto my body, into my heart. In praise and thanksgiving, I just basked in His Holy Presence, in His Love, and in His Healing Mercy. I am reminded of the precious promise found in Deuteronomy 4:29, "From there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart." I'm in my "from there" place, and I know I have found that which I have sought for so long...my Lord, my God, my Healer, the All-Sufficient One. Today, when you have a craving, make a conscious choice to either give in to the craving or enjoy God's presence. Blessings, Mary

I know that idol worshi****** and that whatever or whomever you set up as a god in your life can become that idol. Our flesh wants lots of stuff and all of it in excess. God demands to be first in our life-in every area. While I do not believe that overeating is a sin in itself, I do believe that when you defile your body and make it unhealthy by overeating habitually(or doing a lot of things) or when you make yourself unable to do God's will because of your fleshly desire for food, then you are sinning because food has become more important than God. At any rate, I agree with you that the important thing is that Jesus died to nail all of our sins to the cross. He draws us to Himself and made a way for us to be saved from Hell. I used to think that He was always looking for the smallest mistake so that He could throw me into eternal damnation, but as I read and reread the Word, I see that the opposite is true. While He calls us to be holy as He is holy, He is always looking for a way to get us back on track. He wants us to be with Him. What an awesome God we serve!!

Yes, Amy, He is so awesome. I just love how gentle He has been with me. I fail Him so much, yet He's so ready for me to come back. I'm learning to let my roots go deeper, in Him. Thank you for your comments. They are right on. Blessings, Mary