Nutrition and Walking in the Light

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

But the whole armor of God is more than just avoiding bad things aside from nutrition abuse.  In fact, God wants people to respect their body as a temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

Well, how can we apply this idea to modern times?  One way is by eliminating junk food, unclean air, toxic chemicals etc. from our life.   Now, of course, we can’t completely do this, and God understands, but to those who aware, God wants this done.

And this can’t eliminate the ultimate meeting with death, but it can greatly improve our lives.  It’s simple cause and effect.

Passive Aggression and Nitpicking

Galatians 5:19-26

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

It’s not acceptable for someone walking in the light, living the abundant life (same thing) etc.  Anyway, there is this pro-bullying movement out there, saying people are too sensitive, but I think you can’t really apply what they’re saying to this situation.  I mean, a thick skin can only take so much.  Ultimately, if you’re around someone that doesn’t like you (and that’s the root cause), you need to leave the relationship and you should also leave a relationship where you don’t like someone.

So, what is the cause of the nitpicking?  Well, it’s a symptom of a relationship going downhill or perhaps the person never liked you to begin with.  That’s the reason for it.   And while enduring this stuff is acceptable for basic military training (to prepare for war), it’s not a good idea for a relationship with a boss, a marriage partner, a boyfriend/girlfriend situation, co-worker situation etc.

Note: It’s often possible to repair bad relationships, of course, but as dating sites suggest, abuse is a sign to get out while it’s being repaired or perhaps not being repaired.

Why does God seem to be punishing Job?

Job 1:6-22

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[a] also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

In the book of Job, Job and others are confused as to why such bad things are happening to him, but my take on it is that God is trying to show people that loyalty and love cannot be dependent on getting what you want.  Now, it is true that people do get blessed by serving God, but everything still doesn’t go their way.   There is no way it could.  There is often no way to stop natural disasters, to stop the fact that despite your good heart and effort many will not do right, the fact that everyone will die at some point, even the blessed.

And also, there is the fact that God would be hurt by feeling used.  For instance, that’s a problem with rich people.   Some rich people are just convinced that they’re only being loved for the money, and that’s probably true in most cases.   Anyway, though, it is true that to get the friendship and loyalty of people (your wife, for instance) you need to give, you need to provide, but that can’t always be the foundation for the relationship.  For instance, what about times when you can’t give and provide?  What about when you’re sick?

Ultimately, the ability to love people regardless of what you’re getting is a big part of loving a person or God.

Greater is He in You

1 John 4:4

4You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

In this world of bad news, it’s good to know you’re on the side overcoming the bad news.   However, you’re only on that side, if you’re living the life.

John 15:4 -7 “ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

But how can one abide in the vine?  It takes effort.  Well, the Parable of the Sower gives an idea of what effort is needed daily.

Mathew 13:1-8

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Basically, this is saying that if you can resist persecution (the rocky soil) and temptations of the world (the thorns), then you can be a successful Christian (the good soil).  It’s as simple as that, but not so simple.  As noted, it’s something requiring real effort.