Spiritual Fat Burner

After leaving college, I made ends meet for a couple of years waiting tables at Olive Garden. I was often amused by people who ordered the 1000+ calorie lasagna with Diet Coke followed by cheesecake. "What's the point of the diet soda?" I thought.

Now, ten years later, I catch myself doing the same thing. Spiritually, that is.

You see, I've been thinking about these things more and more, because I've been attempting to lose about 42 pounds in 100 days to get myself to my ideal body weight. (48 days have passed and I've lost 26 pounds. That leaves 52 days with 16 pounds to get rid of. At 2-3 pounds a week, that's definitely within reach.)

But I'm also experiencing a season of spiritual renewal, and the parallels between my physical and spiritual health have been striking. Here are some of my observations:

• In the Old Testament, when the priests sacrificed animals for the sins of the nation, they "burned the fat of the offering for sin on the altar (Leviticus 16:25 GW)." Scripture also says that this fat was a "soothing aroma to the LORD (Leviticus 17:6 GW)." Of course, animal sacrifices are no longer necessary since Christ died and rose, so is there anything can we learn from this? Well, the Hebrew word most often translated as fat also means the choicest or best part. In other words, the part that was worth the most (the part hardest to let go of) was exactly what God wanted. Since we are now presenting ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), the spiritual fat we need to let go of is often some of those things we most want to keep. These can be idols, sinful habits, attitudes, or strongholds.
• Christians often have the mentality that we can hang on to the good and the bad in our lives as long as the good offsets or outweighs the bad. God's kingdom doesn't work like this. There is no room for Diet Coke with lasagna in a healthy spiritual diet. No amount of Bible reading is going to cancel out a stubborn porn addiction, and no amount of time in God's presence is going to move us to the next level if we maintain an unrepentant attitude about sexual and moral failings, or any kind of compromise with sin. John Wesley's first rule, "Do no harm" is especially significant to this discussion.
• Like many guys in their 30's, I have some body fat around my waist area that has been particularly adept at overstaying its welcome. In my quest for a six-pack, I've discovered that getting rid of body fat is even more important than working my abs. No amount of crunches will get you a six-pack if you don't get rid of the body fat. In fact, if you add muscle without addressing the fat, your gut appears to get even bigger. Trying to grow spiritually without giving up our old spiritual baggage is like chasing a spiritual six-pack that will never show up.
  
• We read the Old Testament through our New Testament eyes, and we sometimes treat the New Testament as a sequel... an afterthought... God's Plan B. But that's not how God put it all together. He knew what he was doing all along, and it's amazing how many of our "New Testament sensibilities" show up in the Old. Samuel once said, "Is the LORD as delighted with burnt offerings and sacrifices as he would be with your obedience? To follow instructions is better than to sacrifice. To obey is better than sacrificing the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22 GW)." Of course, the observant reader will quickly note that obeying is a sacrifice. 
• In order to lose 3 pounds a week, I needed to create a 1500 calorie a day deficit by altering my calorie intake and the amount of physical exercise I was doing. In other words, I needed to take in 1500 calories less per day than my body was "spending", so my body would burn the excess fat to create energy. This hasn't been easy, but I'm slowly seeing fruit. I weigh myself daily, but I don't always lose weight each day. (Some days, even though I'm doing all the right things, I actually gain weight!) But when I look at the big picture, I see results. In the same way, we can't get discouraged when we see no apparent spiritual growth on a day to day basis. The key is staying the course, continuing to burn the spiritual fat (even when it gets uncomfortable), and looking at the big picture.
  
• Physically I'm also working out, which adds muscle. Getting rid of fat is one thing, but adding muscle is something else. Both are important. Bible reading and prayer are two ways to build spiritual muscle. (And like weight training, both will bring resistance. Sometimes it's hard to read the Bible and pray!)

As I've lost the body fat (and the excess weight it brought) I've discovered something. I can jump higher on the basketball court. (My goal is to be able to dunk by January.) I wasn't even able to touch the rim a couple of months ago. Now I can almost hang on it. In the same way, nothing will help you reach your spiritual goals more than burning your excess fat.

Comments

[Chris Walker]

All I can say is thank you Shane. You don't know how much this ministered to me today.

[John Wilks]

Shane,

First, congrats on slimming down. May God help you reach your goal.

Secondly, I really appriciated your thoughts- I think I've been soul-puddgy as of late and I've got some praying to do.

Grace and peace,
John