Proverbs 21:21
He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
Long-distance runners train themselves to think of the finish line. They visualize it just ahead. They say this keeps them from wanting to give up somewhere along the way. The reward of crossing the finish line is worth more than any pain or discomfort on the way. Dieters can learn from this. Instead of dwelling on how hungry we are, or how much we long for rich foods, we should continually think in terms of the rewards that await us at the end. Christians follow Christ with hope of a heavenly reward. Faith means we await something yet to come. Dieting means we live in the hope of trimming down and looking fit.
Today's thought: The reward of our diet is greater than the sacrifice!
Psalm 11:7
For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
Don't let self-pity become part of your diet. It's very easy to feel sorry for yourself when you diet. First, you feel bad because you're overweight. Then you feel bad because of all you have to give up. You feel badly because other people don't seem to understand what you're going through. They get to eat as they please. All of these things can make dieters feel extremely sorry for themselves. Take heart. God knows what you're going through and He is de-lighted that you care so much about yourself. It is right and good to want to lose weight. Whenever we try to do what we think is right, God supports us completely. Replace self-pity with the blessed assurance that God is on your side.
Today's thought: Dieting is no reason for self-pity!
2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou has done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
My grandfather always said to me, 'You plant your field, you have to harvest it.' We made ourselves overweight, and we either have to live with it or work to change it. It is foolishness to overindulge, but that doesn't stop us from doing it. Anyone who is overweight knows well that we have to pay for our foolishness. True wisdom comes from God. When we decide that enough is enough, that it is time to lose weight, we can know God will help us, especially through the toughest times. All we need do is ask. God is looking for ways to help us, but He always waits until His help is invited. Don't hesitate. Call upon the Lord, and He will hear you.
Today's thought: If we turn from our foolishness, God will bless us!
Copied from Crosswalk Devotional for Dieters
I'm not happy with this one, today. I debated about not even posting it. Our society is a product of processed food and certain foods that trigger incessant hunger even though we are not necessarily needing the food for survival. Be blessed, everyone!
1 Samuel 2:30
'. . . Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.'
A friend of mine played basketball in high school. He did everything he could to become the best player he could be. He worked with the coach every day. He respected the coach and did everything the coach told him, in order to please him. His hard work paid off. He starred on the team, and when he graduated, the coach told him he was the finest player he had ever had the privilege of coaching. Are we doing everything we can to please God by being the best people we can be? When we diet, we do God honor, and He will be faithful to honor us in return. If we ignore our bodies, the gift that God gave us, then we show contempt for God, and He will lose respect for us.
Today's thought: Today I will do everything I can to please God!
This is lovely! " Today I will do everything I can to please God"
Aren't we incredibly blessed that we have a God who loves us, with all our human frailties......we have been forgiven in Grace.
Wow...truly amazing!!
God Bless You All,
Donna
NurseMom hasn't been here in a couple days. I hope everything is OK with her. I enjoyed reading these and signed up for them to be emailed to me daily. I wanted to post the one for today since I thought it was particularly meaningful.
Copied from Crosswalk Devotional for Dieters
January 25
Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts should be established.
A woman I know carried a pocket New Testament with her wherever she went. Often I would see her pull it out of her pocketbook and begin reading. One day I asked her why she seemed so intent on her reading whenever I saw her. She said, 'I read it whenever I get hungry. I'm trying to control my weight, so whenever I feel a physical hunger, I feed myself spiritually instead. It takes my mind off my hunger and puts it where it should be-on the Lord.' What a wonderful lesson. If we will find new ways to include God in our diet, He will turn our thoughts where they need to be!
Today's thought: There are ways to be fed (spiritually without getting fat!)
Jude 24
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.
There was a girl by the name of Jennifer who was always getting herself into trouble because she couldn't say no. She had absolutely no resistance to any temptation. Then she met Beth. Beth was able to be a voice of reason and common sense for Jennifer. Jennifer knew that if she was tempted, Beth would get her through. Jesus Christ can be to us what Beth was to Jennifer; He can be our voice of reason. Whenever we feel ourselves being tempted, we need to turn toward Him. He is able to keep us from falling. When we find ourselves too weak to handle a situation, we can rest assured that Jesus is indeed strong enough.
Today's thought: Jesus can keep me on the right track!
1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
There are going to be times when we feel like throwing up our hands and saying, 'I just can't do it!' Dieting is not easy. Don't let anyone tell you that it is. We wouldn't need to diet if we could eat what we wanted when we wanted it. But know this: God will make sure we can hang on, if we include Him in our diet attempts. He knows how hard it is and how much we struggle. No matter how tempted we might be, He will help us escape it.
Today's thought: There is a way to beat every temptation!
Luke 22:32
'But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.'
Everyone always wanted Brad on their team. He was tall and very athletic, and every team he ever played for seemed to win. There was also something about Brad that brought out the best in everyone else. It's good to have someone on our side who can swing the odds in our favor. Jesus Christ is just that Someone. He promised His disciples that He would pray for them and they could not fail in their endeavors. He prays for us, too. Jesus is always on our side, and that makes us unbeatable. As we attempt to lose weight, it is vital that we include Jesus in our plans.
Today's thought: With Jesus on my side, temptation doesn't stand a chance!
James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
The earliest days of a diet are the hardest. There are times when it just seems impossible to resist the wonderful treats that appear everywhere. But resist we must. The reward comes to us when we realize that with each victory over an individual temptation, it be-comes all the easier to resist in the future. The largest part of the battle is to realize that we really can do it. The Scriptures promise us that when we resist temptation (the devil), it will flee from us, and it will trouble us no more. God never makes a promise that He won't keep. The battle's been won.
Today's thought: There is no temptation I cannot resist!
I got a kick out of today's devotion and had to share:
Copied from Crosswalk Devotional for Dieters
February 20
Psalm 37:5
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Alice Layden was a woman with no self-control. As long as I knew her, she had been terribly overweight. I hadn't seen Alice for over two years when she showed up one day on my front door-step. She looked fabulous! When I asked how she had finally done it, she said, 'I asked God to help me, and I just kept asking Him. Every morning, every noontime, each evening, and anytime I felt hungry, which was almost all the time, I just said a little prayer for God to get me through. He did it! After I thought I'd just about run out of things to try, I found what I should have known all along. God did for me what I was unable to do for myself!'
Today's thought: The more time spent in prayer, the less time left to eat!
January 25
Today's thought: There are ways to be fed (spiritually without getting fat!)
February 20
Today's thought: The more time spent in prayer, the less time left to eat!
I feel like these are related. Keep going back to scripture and prayer!
Also, timely for me! I've been thinking about getting another Bible, one that will fit in my purse. It's hard to justify the cost of "extras" right now, but maybe it would be so worth it, hmm...
I do wish I could click like on some things I read... but, since I can't I want to say ... I copied and pasted your DEVO from 2/20, Diana... very meaningful! Thank you!
