The Season of Diets
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)
Welcome to the New Year! And welcome to the annual season of dieting. Every January we seem to have a custom of trying to rid the pounds we picked up through the holiday season. While standing in line at a grocery store I was amazed at how many diets were being promoted on the front of magazine covers. (Who came up with this evil plot to make us feel guilty as we are purchasing our food anyway?) There’s The Traffic Light Diet, (I’m not kidding) The Body Clock Diet , The Sugar Addicts Diet , The No Carbs After 5pm Diet, The Curves Diet, The X-Factor Diet, The Ultimate New York Body Plan and The Coconut Diet. One that also caught my eye was the Stress Diet. I was going to pick that one up but got a little stressed out thinking someone might see me actually buying one of those magazines.
What do you do when you are under stress? One of the most common reactions to stress is over-indulging when it comes to eating. This following “stress diet” is a “friend’s” response to the stressful times in his life:
Breakfast: Half a grapefruit - one slice of whole wheat toast - 8 ozs. of skim milk.
Lunch: 4 oz of lean broiled chicken breast - one cup of steamed zucchini – one cup of herb tea and one Double Stuffed Oreo Cookie.
Mid-Afternoon Snack: (after dealing with a rather stressful situation) The rest of the Oreos - one quart of butter pecan ice cream - one jar of hot fudge.
Dinner - 2 loaves of garlic bread – 1 large pepperoni & mushroom pizza - large pitcher of coke. (diet of coarse) 3 Snickers Bars and an entire frozen cheese cake which my wife
(ahh - I mean my friend’s wife) had hidden in the freezer.
Now in case you are concerned about this diet, you need to recognize there are rules:
1. If no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar - they cancel each other out.
3. If you eat calorie-heavy foods along with someone who eats only diet food – the calories cancel each other out.
4. Food used for medicinal purposes never count. (like hot fudge, cheese cake, etc.)
5. If you break a cookie into several pieces, the pieces contain no calories. - (this is because of the little know fact that the process of breakage causes calorie leakage)
As you might imagine, “my friend’s” tasty but dubious diet is rather ineffective in actually relieving stress (or reducing weight). In fact, he has become aware that this response actually increases the stress factors in his life because of the additional worries of impending heart attack and diabetic coma. (Please remember to pray for “my friend.”)
What’s a better way to respond to stressful moments? Looking at the passage above, we can stop stress from turning into distress by:
Remembering Who We Are “But we have this treasure in jars of clay” We are all cracked pots – (Please Note: I did not say “crack pots” – although it may be true of some of us) The Bible reminds us that we are common and ordinary human “vessels of clay.” And “clay jars” are not supermen! We are not vessels made of alabaster, glass, brass, silver or gold. We are common vessels. We make mistakes and cause problems. But please note: the focus here is not on the vessel itself, but the treasure inside the vessel. The love and forgiveness and grace of Christ – the richest treasures heaven has to offer, are all inside each Child of God. We can go a long way towards “de-stressing” by simply remembering the treasure God has planted within us. What enables us to react to problems differently from those in the world is not who we are but who is in us. We are but C.L.A.Y. But we are not just ordinary clay. We are clay that has been transformed and is being transformed by heaven. Remember what kind of clay we are: C – Christ L – Living & A – Abiding in Y - You
Remember God’s Power Will Sustain You “to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” What is this verse saying? Through the problems you and I are facing, God wants to reveal His power. He doesn’t want people to necessarily notice the clay pot – he wants people to focus on the sustaining, persevering, keeping power that is inside the clay pot. God doesn’t mind an occasional stress crack in His vessels. In fact He expects it to happen. He allows us to be hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. By allowing those stressful situations He is able to accomplish His purposes. He reveals a power that amazes the world around us. You see, it’s not about the power of the person – it’s about the power of God supernaturally sustaining the person. Our great discovery in the midst of those stressful moments - when we feel the weakest – is that God is able to loose His amazing power and bring peace to the most difficult situations.
What’s stressing you out today? What’s your response going to be? You can run to the refrigerator and start eating the junk food – or you can feast on the Bread of Life. Have a banquet with Jesus today! I guarantee at the end of the day you’ll feel better. (and be a few pounds thinner!)
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
Welcome to the New Year! And welcome to the annual season of dieting. Every January we seem to have a custom of trying to rid the pounds we picked up through the holiday season. While standing in line at a grocery store I was amazed at how many diets were being promoted on the front of magazine covers. (Who came up with this evil plot to make us feel guilty as we are purchasing our food anyway?) There’s The Traffic Light Diet, (I’m not kidding) The Body Clock Diet , The Sugar Addicts Diet , The No Carbs After 5pm Diet, The Curves Diet, The X-Factor Diet, The Ultimate New York Body Plan and The Coconut Diet. One that also caught my eye was the Stress Diet. I was going to pick that one up but got a little stressed out thinking someone might see me actually buying one of those magazines.
What do you do when you are under stress? One of the most common reactions to stress is over-indulging when it comes to eating. This following “stress diet” is a “friend’s” response to the stressful times in his life:
Breakfast: Half a grapefruit - one slice of whole wheat toast - 8 ozs. of skim milk.
Lunch: 4 oz of lean broiled chicken breast - one cup of steamed zucchini – one cup of herb tea and one Double Stuffed Oreo Cookie.
Mid-Afternoon Snack: (after dealing with a rather stressful situation) The rest of the Oreos - one quart of butter pecan ice cream - one jar of hot fudge.
Dinner - 2 loaves of garlic bread – 1 large pepperoni & mushroom pizza - large pitcher of coke. (diet of coarse) 3 Snickers Bars and an entire frozen cheese cake which my wife
(ahh - I mean my friend’s wife) had hidden in the freezer.
Now in case you are concerned about this diet, you need to recognize there are rules:
1. If no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar - they cancel each other out.
3. If you eat calorie-heavy foods along with someone who eats only diet food – the calories cancel each other out.
4. Food used for medicinal purposes never count. (like hot fudge, cheese cake, etc.)
5. If you break a cookie into several pieces, the pieces contain no calories. - (this is because of the little know fact that the process of breakage causes calorie leakage)
As you might imagine, “my friend’s” tasty but dubious diet is rather ineffective in actually relieving stress (or reducing weight). In fact, he has become aware that this response actually increases the stress factors in his life because of the additional worries of impending heart attack and diabetic coma. (Please remember to pray for “my friend.”)
What’s a better way to respond to stressful moments? Looking at the passage above, we can stop stress from turning into distress by:
Remembering Who We Are “But we have this treasure in jars of clay” We are all cracked pots – (Please Note: I did not say “crack pots” – although it may be true of some of us) The Bible reminds us that we are common and ordinary human “vessels of clay.” And “clay jars” are not supermen! We are not vessels made of alabaster, glass, brass, silver or gold. We are common vessels. We make mistakes and cause problems. But please note: the focus here is not on the vessel itself, but the treasure inside the vessel. The love and forgiveness and grace of Christ – the richest treasures heaven has to offer, are all inside each Child of God. We can go a long way towards “de-stressing” by simply remembering the treasure God has planted within us. What enables us to react to problems differently from those in the world is not who we are but who is in us. We are but C.L.A.Y. But we are not just ordinary clay. We are clay that has been transformed and is being transformed by heaven. Remember what kind of clay we are: C – Christ L – Living & A – Abiding in Y - You
Remember God’s Power Will Sustain You “to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” What is this verse saying? Through the problems you and I are facing, God wants to reveal His power. He doesn’t want people to necessarily notice the clay pot – he wants people to focus on the sustaining, persevering, keeping power that is inside the clay pot. God doesn’t mind an occasional stress crack in His vessels. In fact He expects it to happen. He allows us to be hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. By allowing those stressful situations He is able to accomplish His purposes. He reveals a power that amazes the world around us. You see, it’s not about the power of the person – it’s about the power of God supernaturally sustaining the person. Our great discovery in the midst of those stressful moments - when we feel the weakest – is that God is able to loose His amazing power and bring peace to the most difficult situations.
What’s stressing you out today? What’s your response going to be? You can run to the refrigerator and start eating the junk food – or you can feast on the Bread of Life. Have a banquet with Jesus today! I guarantee at the end of the day you’ll feel better. (and be a few pounds thinner!)
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 12:25 PM
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