Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.  Galatians 6:7-10 HCSB

Just the other night I heard of this great diet. You may eat fast food for at least two meals a day including chocolate shakes. For snacks you may have chips like Cheetos and sweets like brownies or candy bars. Water should be replaced by Dr. Pepper and Coke. The foods that you should avoid at all costs are fruits and vegetables and lean meats. You are guaranteed to lose five pounds a week. Now, unfortunately when I woke up, I realized that this had just been a wonderful dream.

Often times, I find myself like Adam and Eve, wanting to eat that forbidden fruit. We all know that unhealthy eating and failure to take time to exercise results in unwanted pounds as well as unwanted health issues, but we, and I mean I, still don’t always do as I should.

You can’t pour sugar into a gas tank and expect your car to run. You also can’t fill your body up with sugar and tons of fat and expect it to perform well either. There are all kinds of pills out there on the market that say they help you lose weight. But, if you listen closely to their commercials they say that taking this pill combined with proper diet and exercise helps you to lose weight. So, why do you need the pill?

Our spiritual health is much the same, there is no quick cure to get us into good spiritual shape. To do that we must cut out the things that are obstacles and distractions. We must focus on God. We must love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and we must love others as we love ourselves. We have to trim the fat from our spiritual diets and we must exercise good spiritual habits like putting God first and others second and ourselves last. Our pastor says that what brings us true joy is Jesus first, others second and yourself last.

We all want to be healthy, but we just don’t want to work at it. Anything worth having is worth working for, right? So I ask you today to remember our scripture passage, what we reap we will sow. What goes into our bodies determines our physical health. What goes into our minds and our hearts and what comes out of our mouths determines our spiritual health. Living a life that is unhealthy can lead to physical death. Living a spiritually unhealthy life can lead to an eternity of torment in hell.

If we could just wrap our heads around the fact that life here is so temporary (2 Corinthians 4:17-18), I think we would be better equipped to live as we are supposed to live. We must focus on what is forever. This is what we are working for here on earth. Are those four brownies really worth it if it means you can’t fit into your clothes? Is your sinful behavior really worth it if it means an eternity in hell?

When we can stick to a diet for a week or two and start to feel better and look better it motivates us to continue to eat better and exercise. When we read our Bible and pray and go to church and fellowship with Christian friends that motivate us to keep up the good work, we are motivated to be more committed to our relationship with Christ.

There’s a saying in Weight Watchers that says, “Nothing taste as good as being skinny feels”. I have had to learn the hard way that there is nothing on this planet that is worth me being out of my close relationship with my Lord and Savior. I pray that if you haven’t already discovered this for yourself that you will soon. Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself. Taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8)!

Have a great day!