Archives for September 2012
Bible Tuesday – David Part 22
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Absalom fled and went to TalmaiW)’> for he was consoledP)’> for the king has not brought back his banished son?R)’> spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die.T)’> does not remain banished from him.
2 Samuel 14:12-14
Please stop fooling yourself with the ridiculous notion that you are in control. Right now, God is devising a way to bring you to Him. You aren’t reading this post because you happen to enjoy the musings of a chubby housewife. God has a plan and he is a bunch more patient than you are. Trust me on this one.
David hears the story and relents. He allows Joab to bring Absalom back into the kingdom under one condition.
But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.
2 Samuel 14:24
David wants to relent and still punish his son at the same time. Don’t you see people do this all the time? The “I’ll forgive but I won’t forget” routine. But this is not God’s way. If you say you have forgiven someone but you simultaneously still hate their guts, it might be time to re-examine that forgiveness. (And yes, I am preaching to myself here…big time.)
God could have forgiven our sins through the blood of Christ and just left it there. But He didn’t. He reconciled us to Himself. It’s not enough to be allowed back into the kingdom. We must strive to be always in the presence of the King.
Glutton Part 6
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“I know it seems restrictive.” These were the first words I heard from the Weight Watchers leader, a beautiful, slim 50-something woman. She seemed really nice. I mean, my attitude wasn’t bad to begin with. She continued, “But eating whatever you want is how you got here in the first place.”
Was this heifer for real? I haven’t eaten ‘whatever I want’ since 8th grade. (If I had known, I would have really enjoyed those meals more.)
Do people really think that’s how fat people get fat? That we just gorge ourselves on whatever suits our fancy for a few decades and then go on a diet? Is this why it’s so easy for you to dismiss us? Make fun of us? Pity us?
I cannot remember the last meal I just enjoyed. Even if the food was superb, I’m always thinking about the consequences. Remember the great meal I had in Belgium? Seriously one of the top ten experiences of my life. Wanna know what I was thinking as I savored that delicious cheese croquette?
“Oh good grief, I hope my pants fit at least until the plane ride home. Is there anywhere one could buy a pair of yoga pants in Belgium? Why are the people most likely to wear yoga pants also the most likely to NOT do yoga? What if the pants I am wearing literally explode from fatness right now? When I get back to the USA I am going to eat nothing but Atkin’s protein shakes for six months. That will totally work. In fact, it may work too well. What if I get so skinny that people think I am anorexic? What if I become anorexic?
Meanwhile my husband was enjoying the identical food and thinking something like this. “Cheese…good.”
And I’m not making fun of him. That’s all you should be thinking while eating a meal. But being a glutton robs you of the pleasure of food.
If we really want to dissect the sin of gluttony, this is the heart of it. Eating and NOT enjoying it. Food becomes the enemy and each day’s success or failure is measured against that adversary alone.
Blog Note – Glutton
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A word of explanation on the ‘Glutton’ series.
1. I’m not sure it’s a series. For all I know, I may never have another thing to say on the topic. I highly doubt it but it could happen.
2. There is no rhyme or reason on how this deal gets posted. I write as things occur to me. In a perfect world, the story would have a beginning and an end and all posts would be chronologically correct. I do not live in a perfect world.
3. If you know me, then you are completely used to my incredibly bad habit of starting a conversation with you that I have half completed in my mind beforehand. “Glutton’ is no different. So if it seems like a post is missing some relevant “How the heck did we get here?” information…well, it probably is.
