Sep | 27 | Fat Lips

Key Word:- CHANGE

Title:- Fat Lips

Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

The Scriptures do not appear to tell us what constitutes being overweight. Even the book of Leviticus has no measurement, no height to weight ratio for us to calculate this, or even and maybe especially, to repent of this sin. There I've done it. I've made the connection about being fat and sinning. Now you're really feeling awful, maybe even angry, but please, allow me to continue for I wish to settle this silliness and then clarify correctness.

In the Old Testament, fat and fatness were used as signs of evident blessings. The people of God were to eat the fat of the land, delight themselves in fatness even! Indeed listen to Isaac pronouncing the blessing, “Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth..” Genesis 27:28 So we shall agree that a little fat never hurt anyone and it tastes so good as well!

I eat well. I eat sugar, salt and fat, every single day. I enjoy food. I delight in eating food! In my opinion though life is more than food, it never the less would be severely diminished without the enjoyment of it! I actually eat five or six times a day. No really, it forces my metabolism to work and burn up more calories. Yes, most of those meals are high protein but some of them are just jam packed with carbohydrates. I just couldn't function without them ‘carbs’. I just love 'em!

I am not overweight friends. Well not much anyway! Well just a little! The truth is that I have come, by observation and investigation, to know my body. I know how I react, in terms of energy and weight, to the food I am taking in and the task I am doing. It's a very simple routine. First I weigh myself every morning and take (for me) some key measurements around my abdomen. Then I eat just about anything, making sure the combination of what I need and want are well matched. For me, if I put on weight and my waist size is not expanding too much, then I am putting on muscle mass. Eat on baby! If I put on weight and my waist size is also growing, then I need to alter the type of nutrition I am taking in. Eat less maybe but certainly eat different. Simple really don’t you think? Try it and try getting to know yourself.

Actually, it's not simple is it? You need to begin to love, respect and honour yourself before you will ever take time to truly get to know yourself. If you do not love and honour yourself, then maybe that is the sin. Like many of you, I have a terrible body image. However I choose to honour myself. You must do so as well; beginning today. Repent of this sin of personal neglect and begin to love and respect yourself. How do you begin to do this with food? Well, in the United Kingdom, king size chocolate bars are facing the axe, for the Food and Drink Federation want to give a sign to consumers to eat in moderation. There you have it. Why not begin in honouring yourself with some moderation! The opposite of moderation is of course, gluttony and gluttony is not just a sticky little word, it is a big fat sin. Indeed, gluttony in any thing is any action that is unrestrained or excessive. Excessive unrestrained anything, especially the excessive unrestrained consumption of food, is sin.

Now before you go hurtling off in the wrong direction, remember that Jesus was not an aesthetic. Indeed, because of His enjoyment of life and His association with those who lived in unrestrained excess, He Himself fell under the accusations of the self-righteous, the ‘at ease in Zion’ if you will, the truly 'fat folk' as it were , when they commented on His lifestyle saying, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking” and continued, “Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Mmmmm? It seems that truly fat people, have really fat mouths!Remember today these three sins.

First: Whilst enjoying life to the full and delighting yourself in the gifts of God Most High, if you do not love and honour yourself, you are sinning.

Second: If you are unrestrained and excessive in anything then it is the sin of gluttony and it needs repenting of.

Thirdly, finally and most disturbingly, may I say that if you are sat at ease in selfish success of any kind, judging the little and the less, then I wonder if no matter how cut or thin you are, that you are the frightful fat folk of the scriptures, the truly sinful, whose hard hearts are the malicious megaphones of fat and massive mouths.

Fat Mouths! Fat hearts! Now there is a sin to repent of.

Listen:- They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly. Psalm 17:10

Pray:- Lord, forgive me my fat mouth and my fat self-centered heart. Help me to bring love, honour and health to this temple of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, amen.