International Banquet

 

Something a little different. A fun project! 

This past week was our Missions conference at church. Last night we had an international banquet and our deacon care group was assigned to do the dessert table, of all things. Here's the pretty pictures, taken by Chrissy Coley, of Christian Coley Photography!

Centerpiece: Wooden coke bottle crates with a Floral Twist!

No, I did not get this idea from Pinterest !

Everyone in our deacon care group pitched in to bring the goodies!  

DBS: Proverbs 23:19-21

Daily Bible Study for the Horizontally Challenged

Proverbs 23:19-21
"Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness with clothe one in rags."

This verse is a more straightforward advisory nestled among a list of good advice for the believer. The chapter also advises that we listen to our parents, live a disciplined life, and abstain from wearing ourselves out trying to get rich! Definitely good advice for anyone!

I tend to be a lazy person, so this verse, and really the whole chapter, is very convicting to me. We are not to be following after whatever desire our whims concoct, but living a life that is disciplined, busy, well ordered, and constructive! Wealth should not be our goal. Food should not be our life. But rather a life that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father! When God looks at your eating habits will He be pleased at our control and discipline, or will he be disappointed by a lack of control as we yield to the flesh?


Sincerely,
Marie

Please keep in mind that these Bible studies are done for myself. So I can keep in mind what the Bible says about my personal struggle. I am not preaching to anyone but myself, but if they happen to apply to you as well then I hope they will also help you to better understand how God wants us to deal with our eating habits and lifestyle. 

DBS: Romans 12:1-2

Daily Bible Study for the Horizontally Challenged

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:1-2

As Christians, we are God's. We belong to Him. So it is not unreasonable of God to expect us to use our bodies for His work. It should be a joy for us to honor and glorify Him in any way we can, after all He has done for us. 

But somehow this concept gets ignored when it comes to weight control. We don't like to think that it is God's will that we be disciplined in our eating and exercise habits. It's easier and more comforting to say, "This is the way God made me." 

That isn't true. God made our bodies to work a certain way, and not every body is created equal. There are those lucky people that can eat what they want and stay thin. Yes, they do exist. But there are far more of us that have to struggle just to keep our weight tolerable! Forget about being drop dead gorgeous, I'm just talking about being able to keep up with the kids at church! It is true that God made some bodies to gain weight easier than others. It is true that God made some people with a natural bent toward exercise, while others tend toward less strenuous activity. But that does not mean it is okay for us to blame our difficulties for our weight or say it is God that made us this way. 

We let ourselves become this by eating more than we need. And the cold hard truth is, that we have dropped the ball on making our bodies presentable for service. When we allow our weight to get out of our control; when we do not discipline ourselves as God wants us to, we choose to settle for God's permissive will instead of striving to live in His perfect will for our lives. 

This verse really hit me hard, because I like to think that I'm a pretty decent person. But the truth is, my eating habits are out of control. I must strive to bring them back into order and control so that my body will be ready for whatever service God might have for me to do. 

Marie

DBS: I Corinthians 3:16-17

Daily Bible Study For the Horizontally Challenged

I Corinthians 3:16-17
^"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are."


This verse is spoken to Christians. But not just any Christians. It is spoken to a group of Christians that have been believers for a while, but are still living like newly converted men and women. They should be more mature, but they are still walking in their flesh instead of following the wisdom of God. They are jealous and bickering, when they should be focusing on doing the work of God. 


So how does this apply to those of us with an overabundance of fat? When I allow myself to stay fat, I am being destructive to this temple, and letting it fall into ruin. As a believer who has been a believer for a while now, I should know better. But somehow we've tricked ourselves into thinking that obesity is different from other self destructive habits because it's more of a passive problem than an active one. 


But the bottom line is that we are fat because we let ourselves become fat. I have as much excuse as anyone to say that it isn't my fault. I am one of the few that actually does have a medical condition which makes it easier for me to gain weight and harder for me to lose it! 


But that has nothing to do with why I am fat. I am fat because I let myself become fat, and I let myself stay fat. But as a believer, my body is not my own. It is the temple of God's Holy Spirit, and as such it is a tool that should be used for His glory! Not to satisfy my desire for food and relaxation.