Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Junk Food Addict - Martin Wiles


Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. Psalm 141:4 NLT

She was a junk food addict.

My paternal grandmother loved junk—and didn’t mind sharing with her first-born grandchild. When I was young, she fed me silver bells (Hershey Kisses) to keep me quiet in church. She loved Little Debbie’s, pies, cakes, chocolate, and candy. Anything sweet.

When my grandmother was in her mid-eighties and confined to the nursing home, the nurses fussed because my aunt brought her junk food. I told her to eat what she wanted. At her age, it wasn’t going to make any difference. And she did until the day she died.

My grandmother’s example rubbed off on me. By the time I reached adolescence, I had a healthy appetite for junk food. Canned chili and beans, frozen pizza, Little Debbie’s, chocolate bars, silver bells, cakes, pies, candy. And my favorite? Barbecue potato chips.

Along about thirty-eight, my bad eating habits caught up with me. Not in health problems, but in weight gain. I also worried about future health issues if I didn’t change my eating habits. While I didn’t completely eliminate junk food from my diet, I did cut back, and I also began an exercise regimen. But occasionally … once a week on my cheat day … I still sit down with a bag of chips and a tall glass of milk. 

Evidently, I’m not the only one who eats unhealthy or doesn’t exercise enough. According to recent research, Americans are more obese than they’ve ever been. To the tune of 100 million people (March 2018 http://www.grubstreet.com/2018/03/americas-obesity-rate-hits-record-high.html.

As unhealthy as bad diets and low exercise rates are, something worse exists. According to the psalmist, it’s the delicacies of the wicked. Bad spiritual food. Crime. Stinking attitudes. Cursing. Anger. Unforgiveness. Selfishness. Misplaced priorities. Unbelief.

Anything that takes my interest away from loving God with all my heart and serving Him with the same is spiritual junk food and damages my spiritual health. Just as I had to take the initiative to curtail junk food from my diet and to exercise for good health, I have to do the same with my spiritual diet.

No one can force us to eat the right spiritual foods. Doing so is a choice we have to make, but one with far-reaching effects.

Don’t be a spiritual junk food addict. Digest the right stuff, and enjoy the life God created you to have.

Prayer: Father, hone our taste buds for the food that will satisfy our hunger presently and eternally.




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