Welcome. Today we are going to be talking about another deadly sin, this time gluttony. This sin is a bit nebulous as to what it means, and how it is committed. We are going to try to clear up this issue with the most potent truth we have: the Bible.

What is gluttony? Gluttony is excess in eating; extravagant indulgence of the appetite for food, voracity of appetite, luxury of the table. These are the listings of the older Webster’s dictionary that I use.

So we see that indulgences in foods and the luxuries of the table, such as fine wines and the like is what gluttony is. I am not aware of the source, but it is said that the pig represents gluttony along with the color orange. In Dante’s work or possibly another piece dealing in the same subject matter, I’m not sure, people who were in Hell being punished for gluttony were forced to eat rats, toads and snakes.

This is one of those sins we like to ignore. I myself will admit to being over the ideal weight for my size, and over it fairly far. While I might not so big as to be noticed and pointed out for my size, I’m big enough that people that know me do things like slap my stomach when they see me.

Have I committed the sin of gluttony at times in my life? Yes I have. If I had not, I would be at a healthy, ideal weight.

As an average, Americans are becoming heavier, to a point of obesity. This is the sin of gluttony and we must begin working against it by eating properly and treating our bodies as a temple. (1Co 6:19) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

First off I suggest looking into things like aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, and fluoride. Then start checking out things like organically grown crops and their benefits and drawbacks.

You will find that there are many ways for us to start cleansing the temple of our bodies and avoid the sin of gluttony.

(Pro 23:20) Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: (Pro 23:21) For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

What does this mean? Do not be among those that take too much wine, and become alcoholics. The riotous eaters are another way to say ‘glutton’, plain and simple. The word used, H2151 according to Strong’s, is the same word used in (Deu 21:20) And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.

Finally we have the drowsy. These are those that are unable to get up and get things done because they are sleeping off a bender or a feast. This leads back to alcoholism more than food gluttony, but it counts. A rich man can find himself homeless quickly from drugs and alcohol.

(Pro 23:2) And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. This to me says that if you are a glutton, then you are endangering your very life. We all know about what ways alcohol, drugs, and obesity can kill us. By lifting that glass, that needle or that fork, you are putting a knife to your throat.

(Php 4:4) Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. (Php 4:5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. The word ‘moderation’ here is G1933 in Strong’s and is given the following explanation: appropriate, that is, (by implication) mild: - gentle, moderation, patient.

Act appropriately and be a good example of a Christian. Be mild in action, including partaking of food and any form of drink.

(1Ti 4:8) For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Avoiding things that are sinful, like gluttony helps keep the body in good shape, for to work on the body is of little benefit whereas what we’re going to do after we die is of the highest benefit.

I think it’s more than obvious what gluttony is, and how we commit the sin often by overeating. The virtue is quite clear: self control.

And as I have mentioned, it is a good idea to research the foods you are eating and drinking to see whether they are a help or hindrance to your desire to walk in Christ by making your body a temple.

Let me expound on this theme for just a moment.

I will be quoting some various sources, and I can tell you that they are pretty much on the mark. I also offer that you attend www.aspartamekills.com there is also a website on Myspace that is doing quite well that you can link to through my friends’ list (www.myspace.com/smartfaith) Just look for the word ‘aspartame’ and you’ll be brought to even more information.

· Aspartame/Nutrasweet is not very sweet in itself. This may explain why Equal puts Dextrose (sugar) and maltodextrin as the first ingredients (so that it tastes sweet). Aspartame/Nutrasweet is a brain drug that stimulates your brain so you think that the food you’re eating tastes sweet. If you pay attention you’ll notice that when using Aspartame/Nutrasweet, everything you eat at the same time also tastes sweet! This may be why Aspartame/Nutrasweet causes you to crave carbohydrates. Hence, you may not lose weight using it.
By the way, cyclamates got pulled off the market in the 70’s in the US (but not Canada or the rest of the world). Why? Because the sugar industry saw too much of their market disappear.

• Aspartame/Nutrasweet (aspartylphenylalanine-methyl-ester) breaks down to its poison constituents at 86 degrees (Aspartic Acid 40%, Phenylalanine 50%, and Methanol 10%). Remember your stomach is at 98.6 degrees! Therefore you should never use Aspartame/Nutrasweet in hot beverages or cooked foods such as Jell-O. How the FDA allows this remains a mystery. There is mounting evidence that the “Burning Mouth Syndrome” experienced by the Desert Storm troops was actually Methanol poisoning from the Diet Coke they drank lots of, after being exposed to desert temperatures.
• Aspartame/Nutrasweet’s 10% Methanol appears in the body quickly and is the same alcohol (wood alcohol also in lacquer thinner), that your mother correctly warned you could make you blind. Many skid-row alcoholics had major problems with this cheap but deadly form of alcohol.
• Aspartame/Nutrasweet’s 40% Aspartic Acid is an “excitotoxin” in the brain and excites neurons to death, i.e. it kills brain cells and causes other nerve damage.
• Aspartame/Nutrasweet triggers Migraine Headaches This even happened to me!. The Usenet is filled with posts by people who have pinned their migraines down to aspartame/Nutrasweet consumption.
• Aspartame/Nutrasweet’s breakdown products attack the bodies tissues and create Formaldehyde which builds up in the tissues forever. Remember the smelly, eye watering fumes from the frogs you dissected in school? They were preserved with Formaldehyde! Formaldehyde is thought to cause cancer.
• The American Bottlers Association did not want the FDA to approve Aspartame/Nutrasweet because of what the test report showed. But the FDA approved it anyway!
• Airline pilots stay away from Aspartame/Nutrasweet because they are well aware of the documented dangers.

· Aspartame/Nutrasweet also breaks down to diketopiperazine (DKP) which is proven to cause Brain Tumors! Brain Tumors used to be rare. Several of the rats in the original study formed brain tumors during their Aspartame/Nutrasweet exposure. The researchers surgically removed the tumors and returned the rats to the study and discounted the tumors

So you can see the problems, problems compounded by gluttony! This is why self control is so very important.

It was known that diet was of most importance in the Bible. (Pro 30:21) For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: (Pro 30:22) For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat. Here we see a servant that would not be an adept king for his lack of experience in court. He would, however, become the fool filled with the pleasures of the king’s table. Having a drunken, likely obese, likely woman chaser for a king isn’t just a great idea, and could lead to revolt or just the collapse of the civilization in general.

(Dan 1:12) Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. (Dan 1:13) Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. (Dan 1:15) And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.

Pulse is translated to edible vegetables. In this story, those that ate the meat did not fare as well as Daniel who was given just the vegetables. Though I’m sure it’s likely, it would probably be rare to engorge oneself on veggies. Whereas with meat it is nearly natural.

We see at the end of the days that the king’s group looks worse for wear. This shows that feasting on the king’s meat did them no good other than sap their strength and lead them to be likely overweight.

Now let’s wrap up with self control. This requires little explanation I believe. Self control is just that, taking the time to resist temptations and things that you would otherwise indulge in.

As I’ve said earlier, (1Co 6:19) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? We must consider the fact that God gave us this body, and we’re to keep it well maintained.

So we need to keep our weight down, and not be a glutton or drunkard for anything else either. If you smoke I urge you to quit for your own health. I’ve been without for nearly a year and a half, so it can be done, with the help of the Lord and some lifesavers.

When you start doing things to improve your life, don’t go around prancing around calling attention to yourself. Now I know I just mentioned my quitting smoking, but I mean that as an encouragement, and it is something past, I am not whining and looking for pity.

(Mat 6:16) Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Mat 6:17) But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; (Mat 6:18) That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Take your reward openly from the Father how He sees fit, not pity from people on the streetcorner. This reward is fleeting and nothing, to get the ‘ahh, he’s trying to lose weight, the dear!’ or whatever. If I run around saying ‘I’m so down because I can’t eat chocolate anymore!’ then I get my reward from the people around me, either a pitiful nice word, or a dismissal, both equally worthless.

But if I keep myself up and do not call attention to myself, then God will see this and I will have my reward, which is likely going to be in Heaven.

And if not, and the Lord blesses me down here, that’s fine, but my heart is with the Lord. (Mat 6:21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

When you come face to face with your temptation, pray. This is the best thing you can do. Thank God for your life, thank God for all things, glorify Him and ask Him to glorify Himself through you. Ask for Him to help you resist your temptation that you might achieve your goal.

Think about it, change some of the smaller things in your life. If you lose 2 pounds a month, slowly and in a healthy way, that’s still 24 pounds in a year, and that’s a considerable amount of weight.

Always consult with your physician before starting an exercise program. But take time to make a change. You will feel better for it, and you will please God if you are taking care of yourself as we are commanded in the Bible.

I think I’ll let it go at that. I’ve got a pretty big mote in my own eye. Glass houses and all that. I’m praying that God help me as well so that I can avoid this sin of gluttony. So until next time my friends, God bless.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Uncategorized | . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.