Daily PresenceSample

About two years ago, I began my dieting adventure. As I entered my thirties losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle became more important (and physically noticeable). So, I started with the Keto diet, then moved to Weight Watchers, and then to the Nordic diet. I have fluctuated between these three over the past few years and I am not here to officially endorse one of the others. However, each one comes with certain expectations in order to lose weight. Each one defines what is “good” and what is “bad”. This is unfortunate because on three of these diets my favorite snack, Voodoo Chips are considered bad! Well, picture me, three weeks into a diet standing on a scale and wondering why I’m not losing weight. “I’m eating pretty healthy and cutting out most of the bad stuff, but I’m not losing weight. What gives!?” Then, those Voodoo chips begin to come to mind.

No matter how well you are doing on a diet most of the day, if you end it with a pint of BlueBell and a bag of Voodoo chips, you’re not going to see results! You’re going to fail! You are going to lose contact and relationship with the protocols through the diet. Forgive the poor example. But this is kind of how God is relating to His people in our reading today. God clearly states His expectations and His promises if these expectations are met. Yet, He also explains that His people have failed to meet these expectations and that they will suffer because of it. This is not God being petty; it’s a natural consequence! I can’t be mad at my diet when I spray a can of whipped cream on a twinkie and peanut butter sandwich and then get mad when my pants don’t fit. This isn’t the diet’s fault, it’s my lack of discipline’s fault! Only the Holy Spirit can keep us in check with God, so we must keep in check with the Holy Spirit. Just like we often have a daily weigh-in on a diet, we must have a daily weigh-in with God. Check out heart, our mind, our spiritual well being to ensure we are in tip-top shape to serve Him rather than ourselves.