Day 13 Christmas Reading: Those Surplus Pounds

In recent days, an increasing number of individuals are becoming overweight from eating the wrong kinds of food and far too much of it, along with not exercising to burn off the surplus calories.

The better the financial state, the greater the problem, and often our children become the victims of prosperity, expedience and busy schedules.

So why be concerned with your weight? There are better reasons than looking good at the beach or having more appeal to members of the opposite sex. If you are God’s child, your body is a temple in which dwells God the Holy Spirit. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) writes Paul to the Corinthians. The flip side to this issue is that your health is vitally affected by your weight and your ability to discipline yourself.

Furthermore, developing a lifestyle of discipline will make you more successful and enable you to accomplish far more. Take time to read Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, especially what is written in chapter 9, and you will recognize that Paul uses the Greek athlete as a model for believers to control their appetites, their desires and affections and to stay in shape.

Weight loss is becoming a big thing today, and there are a growing number of resources and diets that are noteworthy, but frankly there is no magic solution, a diet pill that allows you to get back into your wardrobe. Lasting changes require commitment and discipline, and if you want to live to see your grandchildren grow up, you had better get started today.

This is an excerpt from Today Counts by Harold Sala, now available at OMF Lit and Passages Bookshops, PCBS, and our online store, passagesbooks.com for only P325.

Inspiring thoughts for daily reflection to help you worry less and trust God more—every day.