Theme: AVOIDING AND OVERCOMING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOURS
Text: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” – Luke 21:34-36
Comment: Our Lord Jesus Christ made this declaration to alert his disciples of the behaviours that would be prevalent in the last days, one of which is overeating. Some people eat too much food as a habit. The Bible says everything should be done in moderation. (Philippians 4:5; Proverbs 25:16) It is not the quantity of food eaten that makes a man happy, contented and healthy but knowledge of God and faith in Him and His blessings on the individual worshipper. (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:3,4) It should be pointed out that it was food that brought trouble on the whole human race when Eve ate the fruit and gave to Adam. – Genesis 3:6.
On the other hand, some people have an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of their weight and body shape. People with this illness believe themselves to be fat even when they are so thin and their weight so low that their health is in danger. We should know that we cannot have perfection in this world and so should not look for perfect physical appearance or build.
It is to avoid extremes of behaviour that Agur the prophet prayed thus, “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” – Proverbs 30:8, 9.