Natural Laws

NIV: Proverb 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

MATTHEW HENRY'S COMMENTS: It is folly to indulge sin, and excuse it. He who covers his sins, shall not have any true peace. He who humbly confesses his sins, with true repentance and faith, shall find mercy from God. The Son of God is our great atonement. Under a deep sense of our guilt and danger, we may claim salvation from that mercy which reigns through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

MY OBSERVATIONS: Still not convinced that excess of poundage through gluttony is sin? Verse 7 says, " He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father." God has set for us natural laws, and when the body has given into the lust of over-indulgence of food, the additional weight appears upon the body. If this did not occur, we might never do anything to renounce and repent from this sin pattern. Through this Proverbs study, I have become more than slightly uncomfortable with my weight---I have discovered that I have been wearing my sin visibly for all that meet me to see. I am indeed humbled and confess that I had no self-control or power over the temptation of overeating. Having been truly convicted, I am working out this sin with fear and trembling as the scripture exhorts us too. If you are not yet fully persuaded, go back to Proverbs 1 and read through each and every chapter, allowing the Holy Spirit to enlighten your thoughts and ways. We must not only confess sin of any sort, but we also need to renounce them by turning away from those sins which keep us at arm's length from Christ's mercy.

Father God, I confess my sin to You that I have disgraced You through the temple of my body. I renounce and rebuke this sin in Christ's powerful name. Forgive my past, and heal my body. Keep me from harm's way of intemperance, and let my freedom from bondage turn into a testimony of Your all-encompassing mercy. Amen

NIV: Proverb 28:21 To show partiality is not good -- yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

My Observations: This verse speaks of the power and pull of the temptation to sin with food. What man won’t do to fill his stomach! What we haven’t done to attain more than our rightful share of food! Remember, that Esau sold his birthright for a morsel of bread and bowl of stew. He later cried in anguish, and then became outrageously angry, to no avail. What have we done wrong to sneak food or overstuff ourselves? Must have been something because we all anguish now to lose that extra weight. When we sit down to eat now, we must not show partiality to our old ways and tastes. We must realize healthy is better all the way around, and we must not hunger and long for the fatty days.

Dear Father, we thank You that through Your Word and voice that You have broken through to us, corrected us and are cleansing us from the pull and temptations of food. We thank You Father, that each day becomes easier to make the right choices. We thank You Father that You have rescued us, before it was too late to change. Amen

Today's Diet Tip: -28. A healthy short-term goal is to lose half-pound to two pounds per week. Given that, look at a calendar and determine when you can expect to reach your weight goal. Write the date down. Now you have a weight goal within a reasonable time frame. Don't get angry at yourself if you don't lose weight on your schedule.

Today's Positive Thought: Nobody fails, until they stop trying.