Contentment vs. Gluttany

We recently moved into a house from an apartment. I love my new digs. This place is much larger, and so, I’ve had fun buying some additional furniture at second hand stores. It is a one story, called a ranch, with a two car garage and a fenced back yard. I love to sit on the front porch protected by trees and read sipping tea or coffee. Some old chairs caught my eye at a second hand store, and I gave them a bright facelift in vibrant colors.

 

I have a room for an office where I can let my imagination take flight, with no interruptions. In this house, I can sing out loud and not worry I’m bothering the neighbors. The neighborhood is a nice quiet one where walking the streets is enjoyable.

In our back yard are many trees. Three of the trees have dark burgundy leaves and a few weeks ago was burdened with a bazillion berries.

The birds discovered them and for three days devoured them. I loved watching them through our huge window. Some birds hung upside down to pick off the berries. The frenzy was intense. The birds were afraid they wouldn’t get their fill. Flying here and there, swarming and swooping all around the yard. Unfortunately, some hit our window thinking the reflection was more berry laden trees. I turned the vertical blinds so we could see out but it distorted the reflection enough to keep the birds from breaking their necks.

The birds made me think of gluttons who seem to feel they need more and more and are never satisfied. They grab food and devour it so fast almost afraid someone will take it away from them. I want to be thankful for my food and content with a portion I need to sustain me but not to overdo it. The Bible warns against gluttony. Proverbs 23:1 b-2 Consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. That seem pretty harsh. What it means is to think about what you put into your mouth and beware lest you become a glutton.

Another bird I like to watch is the humming bird. For the first time in my life I put up a humming bird feeder. They love my simple sugar concoction. The humming bird is like a helicopter, in the fact that they hover. Their little wings beat 50 time a second and can fly as fast as 35 miles an hour!  Wow! They are also pretty too.

 

The bees also enjoy the feeder. A wasp has started to drink the nectar but is not wanting to share. He chases away the humming birds. This is silly because there are four places to drink from. He is acting like a glutton.

A week ago I had surgery on my nose. It was broken a while back and an infection had developed that would not go away. The surgery lasted an hour but the healing process will take some time. During the first week of recovery, I was glad to sit on my sofa and watch these amazing birds. It gave me pleasure. I love God’s creation. The Lord is creative. God made a world full of wonderment for our enjoyment. We have many kinds of animals, birds, fish, reptiles, and insects to observe. They are full of colors and delightful attributes. All creation points to the Lord as their creator. Psalm19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handy work.

We should be thankful and content where the Lord has put us. Wherever or whatever your circumstances, please thank the Lord, and be content. We also should not become gluttons but thankful for our daily bread for our needs.

I thank the Lord for giving us a beautiful world to live where we can enjoy his creation. I feel blessed to be able to spend time with you each week, telling you stories from my mind, and retelling of people in time past from the Bible. The Lord put on my heart this wonderful enjoyment of teaching godly principles to you, the reader. I hope these lessons I write every week touch your heart in the way they are intended. God bless you.

If you have not done so, please memorize one or both of these verses:

Proverbs 23:1 b-2 Consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

Psalm19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handy work.

 

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated

 

Gluttony

Do you know what an anteater is? Have you seen one? An anteater is a mammal that lives in Africa, Central America, and South America who eats ants and termites. Ants and termites live under ground digging out tunnels and rooms. Termites eat wood and other plants. You can find them in fallen trees and other wood sources. Ants and termites mound up the dirt they have dug, creating a hill. This hill is their nest. Termite hills can become quite tall.

                                                                            

Anteaters use the long tongues to lick up the ants or termites. It only takes a few seconds for their tongues to be covered with insects because their tongues are sticky. Their tongues move in and out of their mouths very rapidly. The anteater avoids getting bit by the ants by staying only a very short time at each nest. Each anteater has to visit around 200 nests each day in order to get enough food.

                                                                       

Anteaters have claws and cannot pick up their young, so the baby sits on its mother’s back until it is old enough to live on its own. They use the claws to dig at the large mounds the termites have made. This will release more termites and they will quickly stick their tongues in.

                                                                              

Babafemi is a giant anteater who lives in Africa. His name means loved by his father and is pronounced, bah-BAH-feh-mee. Babafemi loves to eat ants and termites. He loves them so much it has become a problem. He is what we call a glutton. A glutton is one who eats much more than he should.

                                                                                

Babafemi is always in search of food. He thinks about food all the time. He has mastered the best time of day and the best nests to get the most insects out. He knows how to eat many very fast so he can move to the next nest and so on. All day he is eating. He finally stops when it is too dark to see. If another anteater is ready to stick it’s tongue in a mound, he will shove the anteater aside and get the termites first. He wants all the insects for himself. He dreams about eating. He thinks about it first thing in the morning before the sun comes up. Babafemi has gotten very large.

We were created to burn calories for energy. We get these calories from the food we eat. Each bite of food has calories. Our bodies convert the calories into energy which we burn. Just like a car needs gas to run we need energy to burn. We need the energy to operate our bodies. We use the energy to move our arms, legs, feet, and hands. Our heart needs energy to beat. Our brains need energy to think. We need energy to breathe and pump blood through our veins. We cannot grow unless we have energy to burn. Our bodies need energy to grow our hair and finger nails. It takes energy to digest the food we eat, converting it into the energy we need. Every time you blink you use energy. You are using energy by reading or listening to this story. When we exercise we burn more calories or energy than if we are sitting still.

If we take in more food than we need, our bodies turn it into fat and store it for later. We need fat in our bodies. Every person has fat in their bodies. If there is a day that we don’t get enough calories from our food, then our bodies burn the stored fat. If we frequently eat more than we need and we don’t burn it off, it becomes a problem. If we don’t burn it, our bodies have to change it into fat, storing more and more. We become too large because we have too much fat stored.

Our friend Babafemi has done just that. His body did not need the extra calories from the food he ate. His body did what it should do, changed it into fat, and stored it for later. He kept eating more and more everyday so he didn’t burned the fat that was stored. Now he has a problem. He is so large he has difficulty walking because his joints hurt. His feet and legs hurt. He is carrying around too much weight in stored fat. Instead of weighing less than 100 lbs., he weighs over 180 lbs.

He is over weight because he became a glutton. What do you think Babafemi should do? First, he should stop eating so much. Second, he should start going on walks to burn up more energy. If he does these things his body will start burning the fat he has stored.

God warns us about being a glutton. Proverbs 23:21…the glutton will come to poverty. Proverbs 23:2 Put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Proverbs 28:7b A companion of gluttons shames his father.

It is easy to over eat because food tastes so good. Just like Babafemi loved the taste of ants and termites, we love the taste of our food too. We need to eat only what our bodies need for fuel or energy. We also need to eat food that is healthful to us. Food like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins are what is best for our bodies. Cookies, candy, cake, pie, and ice cream have more calories than fruits and vegetables. Eating cookies, candy, cake, pie, or ice cream every day is not the best thing for our bodies. Most drinks we drink contain calories also. Water doesn’t and it is the best for our bodies.

Babafemi is an example we do not want to follow. Let’s make sure we eat right and get plenty of exercise. When we do, we will be happier and healthier.

Memorize: Proverbs 23:21…the glutton will come to poverty.

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated.