I Know Why I’m Fat

I love to eat. One of my favorite pastimes is going out with friends on the weekend to try a new restaurant or to frequent an old regular like Cheesecake Factory or Mama Carollas. Living in Carmel, Indiana, doesn’t help. Our city is home to many great restaurants. Some, like Bub’s Burgers, have even garnered national attention through television shows like Man vs. Food. To further compound the problem, my travels around the world have created within me an insatiable craving for ethnic food. I could eat Indian, Thai, Mediterranean, Korean or Mandarin everyday!

But I’m not fat because I love food! I know why I’m fat. It’s not because I’m a connoisseur of fine cuisine. It’s very simple – I’m fat because I consume more than I expend! It’s true that calories from some foods are healthier than foods with “empty” calories. I’m sure genetics and metabolism play a role. I’m told the body can go into “ketosis” by cutting carbs which can result in weight loss. Complex chemistry and science have their place. But the bottom line remains – we are fat because we take in more than we burn up.

God never intended the human body to consistently consume more than it expends. When we do so consistently we become overweight which can lead to all sorts of health problems. The human body is more healthy and fit when, through exercise and activity, it burns up what it takes in. The Body of Christ is no different! God never intended on His church solely being recipients of His blessings. It was never His will that we consume more than we expend.

Too many Christians are chronic spiritual consumers who never give out. They just enjoy the blessings without ever passing them on. How many churches are full of spiritually obese Christians who, week after week, sit at the buffet of great worship and preaching? They gorge themselves on the Presence and Word of God. They fill themselves with all the rich blessings of Christianity, yet never expend what they consume. They don’t serve. They don’t pour out to others. They’ve forgotten what it means to be a servant.

Evangelist Bobbie Lewis preached Sunday at FAC a message untitled, “Will you take the towel?” At the Last Supper, while the disciples were arguing over who was greatest among them, Jesus took a towel and began to wash His disciple’s feet. He taught them that true greatness comes through serving others. He said, “You’ll be happy if you do what I’ve just taught you.” It’s been ingrained into us that happiness comes from being served. But Jesus taught just the opposite. He said true happiness comes from serving – from giving rather than receiving.

Are you fat, spiritually? Is your Christian experience centered more around what God and the Church does for you than what you do for God and His church? Being a Dead Sea with only inflows and no outflows will lead to stagnation and spiritual disease. Just like natural obesity contributes to heart disease, spiritual obesity leads to diseases of the heart – misguided affections, spiritual callousness, a lack of love for others, and on and on. What we receive from God and our church is given for the purpose of filling and empowering us to go out and serve our world.

It’s miserable being fat! Our clothes don’t fit right. Our energy levels run low! I’m currently exercising, cutting back my calories and feeling good as I’m losing some extra pounds. Some of the most miserable people in the world are Christians who don’t serve – Christians who take in more than they give out. If you’re looking for happiness in your walk with God – pick up the towel! True satisfaction comes when we give to others. You’ve been a spiritual couch potato long enough! Make a commitment today to serve God, your church and your world. You will discover a joy and satisfaction reserved only for those with a servant’s heart.

– Pastor Ball