20. Lord God, I thank You for forgiveness of sins. This is a fresh start for me. A new beginning. A second chance. I thank You that You do not lord my sin of gluttony over me. I thank You that You convicted me before my health gave way. I know that with Your help I can return to a normal weight, and I can eat as a normal person eats once more. I thank You that no matter what our sin is, Christ has taken our place on the cross that we might have forgiveness. I praise You for Your faithfulness and promises. Help me today to glorify you in the actions that I choose. Amen

Day 23 Scripture: 1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Application: Can you, off the top of your head, name a sin that has absolutely no consequence? You cannot because God’s Word speaks that in eternity is where you will get your just reward if you are not in Christ while upon this earth. You will the be reaping the wages of sin in eternity. For every action there is a reaction. The Bible states, “The wages of sin is death.” Can you apply this to eating unhealthy, overeating, weight gain and the maladies of diseases that rush in with obesity. Say it again, “The wages of sin is death.” What were we possibly thinking by overeating? Was it self-punishment or a death wish? I don’t know for sure, but it does seem to point at dissatisfaction at life, rather than joy. But you say, “I enjoyed every moment I was pigging out.” Did you really, or was that feeling unquenchable? Could it ever be satisfied? Sometimes I have been so full of joy, and love and peace from God that I thought I would burst with happiness if things got any better, and believe me, I never rushed to fill up any hole with a piece of pie. That satisfaction at life and its turns came from deep within me, and not from the outward stimuli of dessert. The promise after meeting a condition of suffering for awhile is this in this Scripture, “(God) will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” A little pun on this passage if you will bear with me, but I long to be strong and firm and fit again in my physical body. And yes, it will take a little while, a time of effort, a lot of exercising , water and eating the right things, but I will not add insult to injury as I grow older to learn to live with a body that I am putting into an early grave. Just as smokers can overturn the damage given to their lungs in seven years time, I am determined to spend the next years before I turn 60 to restoring the strength I had a decade or two back. Sound like a pipe dream? It isn’t. Moses lived to be 120, but the key to his leading the Israelites out of Egypt for that last 40 years of his life was in that he ate God’s food, did God’s will, and spent each day exercising! They marched through the desert, and the least I can do is take a hike every day to improve my physical stamina. Be blessed and do not grumble as you set your goals once more to be restored, strong, firm and steadfast.

Prayer: Lord God, I thank You this very day that You are a God of second chances, and I ask for that second chance to rid my body of this excess and become healthy again. I will put forth effort each day, Lord as You bless and multiply it. Thank You, Lord for knowing what my body and spirit truly desires even when I wasn’t able to define it. Blessed be Your name and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelling and working within us. Amen

My Commitment Today: