Wait, weight? Freely living in the LIFE Jesus gave us!

Good Monday morning!

It is no secret that I struggle with my weight. It's been up. It's been down. I feel I have finally conquered that demon and it rears it's ugly head just a few months later. It's a constant battle of the wills, my will or His Will. 

 In my devotional time this morning I was reading in Ephesians and something caught my attention. (Let me state, I know this is NOT what this passage is talking about, but I was able to draw an analogy that I found helpful and encouraging.)

Ephesians 2: 3-5, 10

3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were DEAD because of our sins, he gave us LIFE when he raised Christ from the dead.

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

When I read these verses, all I could see was the sin of gluttony. God calls out gluttony as a sin. We all know gluttony for what it is - an over-indulgence in food (among other things.) Therefore, it is a sinful nature. But, there is HOPE. He gives us HOPE! Verse 4: God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that though we were dead (this is where the analogy came into my head) - dead because gluttony and eating in a way that does not treat our bodies like the temples they are, leads to death. Death of life, whether that is through the inability to play with your children or grandchildren, missing out on family hikes, tennis or basketball games, etc. OR through literal death by scores of obesity related illnesses that potentially lead to death.

So when I read in verse 5 that He gave us LIFE when He raised Christ from the dead, I saw the LIFE we gain from obedience to Him. We gain a REAL earthly life again. We gain the ability to run, play, and jump with our kids. We gain the ability to exist in this earthly life in a glorious way instead of eating away, or inactively sitting away our lives unto death.

I was so struck by this. Jesus died FOR US. For EVERYTHING about us! He died so that we may have life here on earth and in heaven!

Fully Surrender this issue to Him.

Be blessed! There is, therefore, no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). No one is condemning us except ourselves. Seek God to move beyond that and then kick Satan to the curbside and grab a hold of the LIFE Jesus gave us through His.