Trinity Baptist Church

Everybody wants to have a happy new year, and most people have an idea as to how they will go about having it.  Happiness, whether in the new year or the old year, is often as illusive as a mirage in desert.  Resolutions are made, but they are quickly forgotten.  I heard about a website on which you can record your resolutions, and they will send you periodic email reminders of them, but most people don’t want to be reminded of them.

If there are areas of our life that need to be changed, we must go past the symptoms and deal with the root of the problem.  Everybody has heard that before, but think about it before you dismiss it.  An overweight person might eat to comfort themselves in stressful situations, although food is definitely not where we are suppose to find our comfort.  One of the most often made New Year’s resolutions is to lose some weight.  Many people join one of the many programs available, and it is not my purpose to criticize any of the advertised weight loss programs; but, most often the root of the problem is a lack of self-control.  If an individual doesn’t learn self-control, there is no weight loss program that will have lasting effect, because somewhere down the line, he is going to have to stop taking in more calories than he is burning.

Self control is listed in Galatians 5:21-22 as a spiritual fruit, but just because one is a Christian doesn’t mean that he is manifesting that particular spiritual fruit in his life.  True self control only happens under true God control.  It is God who works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, Philippians 2:13.  He makes us want to do it, and He gives us the power to be able to do it.  As a matter of fact, He has already given us everything we need.  He has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3.  The reason many people show no evidence of having been given these things, is that they have not received them by faith.  One must be fully convinced in His mind that he has what God says He has, in order to really live in the benefit of it.

Losing a few pounds, or a lot of pounds, is not without pain, and it requires patient endurance, which is also listed in the list of spiritual fruit.  Of the many benefits that come with maintaining a proper weight, is the satisfaction of knowing that you have accomplished something that will pay big dividends for you, both present and future.

Commit your way unto the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart, Psalm 37:4.