I've never been one to diet. I guess I just always felt I had better things to do than think about what I'm putting into my body, which is admittedly a terrible mentality to have. Just because I didn't think about it didn't mean I wasn't eating the consequences... see what I did there. And I ate terribly in my bachelor days; the Pre-Ellen Era if you will (P.E.E.? ... bathroom humor this early in a blog can't be a good sign).
Have you ever heard of a delightful entrée called the Rib-R-Que? This exquisite dish comes to us from the distant aisles of Kwik Trip, sealed in a lovely plastic bag for your microwaving enjoyment. Reminded me of middle school cafeteria lunch. I don't think it qualifies for any of the food groups though. It may be more closely related in chemical make-up to that of plastic. Perhaps better suited for the table of elements than the table of dining. The lovely Rib-R-Que. Yeah, that was my go-to meal at around midnight those days, which was when I would normally realize "hey, I didn't eat supper".
I'm pretty sure I would have turned into a Rib-R-Que if I had kept that up any longer. It is easier to manage your eating habits up front than to try to work it off later when it's a problem, am i right? I hear people say all the time "Man, I'm going to pay for this later" as they chomp into a big ole double-fudge brownie or "This is going to go straight to my thighs". A little self-control up front could save us some effort in the long run.
I should note that I am a fairly healthy guy thanks to my wife who is smart about these things. I am still really not the most qualified to be talking about dieting though so I'm going to take a sharp turn into something I do know about.
"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice"
This verse comes to us from the great old testament prophet Samuel in a hard-hitting message delivered to Saul, the reigning King of Israel in that day. Earlier in the chapter Samuel had relayed some very specific instructions from God to Saul on how he was supposed to "utterly destroy" the Amalekites, a group of people who had ambushed Israel during the Exodus from Egypt. Well, Saul took some liberties when it came time for the attack and spared the Amalekite King and some of his livestock. In other words, not-so-utter destruction. Saul then began sacrificing some of those livestock, thus why Samuel's message carried such a punch.
The sacrifice in itself was not a bad thing. In fact, it was a requirement God laid out in the old testament to atone for sin, but it wasn't what God was asking for in this situation. He wanted obedience more than he wanted a sacrifice. It's better to obey now, than to sacrifice later. Just like eating. And especially like traffic laws.
I get this concept as a dad. I'm asking my kids to do stuff all the time. "Pick up your toys.", "Stop slapping your sister.", "Put on some pants." Do they always listen? [insert crazed parent look] No. No they don't. But they sure wish they had when I up the ante. "Okay we'll trade jobs. I'll pick up your toys and you can change Asher's dirty diaper. Remember it was taco night last night."
I think the fact that this principle is in the Old Testament is so cool. Because the Old Testament is all about the rules - the Ten Commandments, Leviticus, all kinds of rituals, a bunch of judges, and so on - but it's like God was giving us a preview of the New Covenant Jesus would bring. Jesus does away with the law of sacrifices altogether and becomes the ultimate and final sacrifice in exchange for our obedient, repentant hearts.
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
God can do amazing things with a little obedience. In the verse above Paul talks about obedience in the context of the imagery of weaponry and warfare. When you make the right choice in line with God's will, you're literally advancing the Kingdom of God in your area of influence. Your taking ground for the good guys and squashing the lies and darkness in the process. Your seemingly small act of obedience can turn into blessings upon blessings for generations to come.
