"... a time to lose." Ecclesiastes 3:6
Back to "Listening to God's Lessons"
In these days when being thin is the fashionable way to be, how can one easily lose weight? Don't you wish it were easy? Did you realize that by keeping a few of God's simple principles, you can lose weight and stay thin? Here are a few simple words from God's truth that will help you to shed those extra pounds.
"Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain [two]." Matthew 5:41
When someone asks you to do something, go the extra mile. Do more than what is requested. That is, if someone asks you for help in something, do more than what that person asks. Don't do as little as required -- do more. You will find that going that extra mile will help keep extra inches from settling.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with they might ..." Ecclesiastes 9:10
Anything you do, do it with all your might! Be energetic. Be diligent. You will find that when you do projects and jobs with all your might, or best abilities, you will not only burn more calories, but you will keep more preoccupied with your work and become less preoccupied with eating.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23, 24
It's the same principle. Whatever you do, do it the best you can. Not only will you lose weight, but remember that you're really serving God, not people. So, do the best job you can with all diligence for the Lord! Give Him your best in all you do.
"Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12
Think of the elderly woman on your block who might wish someone would help her carry her groceries in the house or rake her yard. Get out and do something for someone in need. Think of how you would feel in a similar situation, and do to that person what you would hope someone would do for you. Not only will you be blessed in the Lord for doing good to your neighbor, but you will be blessed with less bulge.
"For there is one God; and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Give the Lord your strength (besides everything else). When you use all your strength to serve God, that means your body gives too. Have you ever pulled a muscle or suffered an injury because of your dedication to a sport? Have you ever pulled a muscle or suffered an injury because of your service to God? If not, you're giving more strength to your sport. It's just a fact. I've always been an athletic person. I now like to use my strength to work in the yard or on the house. Sometimes, I'll work until I can barely move. So, when I go to church and raise my arms to worship, I think to myself, "If I can wear my body out doing my work, then I can wear it out worhipping the Lord." I don't want to give him any less than what I'm willing to give to fulfill my own projects.
Giving God all your strength doesn't just happen on Sunday. When you give God your strength, it's a seven-day-a-week service. It's a habitual lifestyle. Going the extra mile, could be something as simple as taking an extra grocery cart into the store when you take your cart in. You're sparing your neighbor's car from getting struck. You're doing unto your neighbor as you'd hope he'd do for you. It could be picking up the trash not only in your yard, but going ahead and picking it up in your neighbor's yard, or picking up some trash as you walk into the supermarket. All these little services that are fulfilling God's principles help to keep you physically fit. Plus, you're being a blessing, which we were called to be. But really, it's a habitual lifestyle that you do unto the Lord. And not only will you be blessed and be a blessing, but you will stay fit and trim.
Should being thin be your first objective. No. But, I'm just telling you that when you keep the Lord's words and follow his truths, you will be whole in every way. That's what "holy" really means -- you are whole. And the closer you keep to God, the more whole, in every way, you will become.