Jubilee Health Place

Finding a Place of Health and Fitness through God's Grace

Devotionals

Don’t Cry Over Weight Gain.

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“Don’t cry over spilt milk” is an old phrase found in books as old as 1659 where it simply means that getting upset over things isn’t going to fix it. It’s hard to recover spilled milk. My daughter would say you shouldn’t be using milk anyway. The same is true about falling off the diet wagon. You can’t do anything about the past, except learn from it. Okay life happened and you gained your weight back. That was yesterday. Today is a new day.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13). We worked hard to lose weight and we regained it back. Weight loss seems impossible today. We wonder is there any possible way it will work. Paul the Apostle says to forget the past failures. Look forward. You can live none of your life in the past again. It will only be lived in the now, with a view to the future. Press on to the prize. As we are talking about our diet efforts, we can forget our failure and get back to work. Success comes in the future until one day it is here. The weight loss journey is a series of steps and you arrive at your destination. Forget the failure and look toward success. Just start again and lose that weight.

Love Others As Yourself

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Love others as yourself. There are two things to pursue in life. Love God and love others. God is love so our goal is to have the character of God. We all know the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It begins with you.

What does this have to do with weight loss? That a good question. You ask hard questions. Everything comes from within you. If love isn’t in you, it won’t come out. As far as weight loss is concerned, it comes from loving yourself enough to take care of yourself. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. Knowing God loves you allows you to love yourself. If God loves you with all your problems, including being overweight, you can love yourself enough to care for your needs.

The list above says to love often. That might make one think that when you don’t love you can hate. However, the goal is to love all the time. Never let one moment go by that you don’t know that God loves you. It’s unconditional and nothing can separate you from that love. Now from that love within, love yourself and others.

 

You Snooze You Lose

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“How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9 NKJV). You snooze you lose. Do you ever hit the snooze button? I don’t think I ever have. If I set the clock to get up at a certain time, that’s when I get up. Why postpone it, and be late. “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread” (Proverbs 20:13 NKJV). I just can’t sleep sitting up.

Some years ago, I had to fly from Albany, New York to Atlanta, Georgia at least once a month. I just couldn’t fall to sleep sitting there in the plane. Another time I flew from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Atlanta, Georgia and the coworker I was with got on the plane, put in his earplugs, put on blinders, and his neck cushion. He slept the whole way while I just sat there staring at the seat in front of me. When it comes to weight loss, sleep is another metaphor for doing nothing. Wake up and enjoy life. It goes by fast as it is, you don’t want to sleep through all the fun stuff it offers.

Shout Grace Grace to Your Mountain of Weight

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Sherry, Jack, and Ange
Sherry, Jack, and Ange

 

This is the last Sunday of the year. Last Sunday we looked back and learned how to handle thoughts opposed to our weight loss goals. It’s time we begin to look forward. After all, the past is past. There is nothing we can do about whether we did good or bad on all diet this year. We only have today, but we can look to the future and make our plans.

If the weight you need to lose is still like a mountain, then it’s time to shout at it. “’Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel [your name] you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” (Zechariah 4:7 NKJV). Shout grace grace to it.

Jesus said to say to mountains be removed and get out of my way. “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23 NKJV).

We came full circle, back to believing. Keep believing that the mountain of weight will be moved. Shout at your mountain. This coming year your diet will be your most productive yet.

 

Bring Those Anti-diet Thoughts into Captivity

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Jack with Emery and Aleena
Jack with Emery and Aleena

 

It’s getting close to the end of the year. Usually when a new year approaches, it’s time for reflection. Reflection is a looking back at your accomplishments. For us dieters, it means to look back and see how we have done this year. I had troubling times for the first five months. I finally overcame the choking cares and turned it around.

That brings up a good thought. It’s also one reason to use the scale. If you start to gain weight, then it’s time to check the reason. If you are in a funk about life’s cares and worries, then take steps to halt that. Don’t let your health go downhill because of it. Remind yourself that the Lord is on your side. He didn’t bring these cares to test your resolve to diet and get healthy. He wants you healthy. Jesus spent a majority of time healing people.

Remind yourself why you are dieting. If you get wild thoughts about eating stuff that will impede your progress, take action and cast down those thoughts. “[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)” (2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP).

 

Two Minute Focus For Overcoming Diet Dilemmas

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Charlene and Great Granddaughter Emery
Charlene and Great Granddaughter Emery

 

When you are struggling over a diet dilemma take two minutes to focus on the promises of God. Our pastor Clint Byars of Forward Church in Sharpsburg Georgia made this statement.

“Studies show that if you focus on something for at least 2 minutes, your emotions can change. This is especially powerful when you’re experiencing worry or fear. If you can concentrate on God’s truth for at least 2 undistracted minutes, then the fear and worry will begin to subside and you’ll begin to allow God’s spirit to have his way in your life.”

Don’t just grab the cookie and stuff it into your mouth. Take 2 minutes to remember that this is a chance to see God’s grace at work in your life. Here’s what Jesus said about it.

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (Matthew 6:6 MSG).

Your weight loss is important to your health. God does not want you to suffer obesity- caused illnesses. He has provided His Grace—power, provision, and protection for you to overcome.