Proverbs 13:25
We are a society of Buffet eaters. We love
to go to the unlimited buffets. And we go back repeatedly in order to “get our
money’s worth.” Of course this has led to a nation that is overweight. Now I
don’t blame the buffets of the world for our plus sizes. We are squarely to
blame for our lack of discipline (and exercise).
The issue is that our heart is not content.
We too often eat out of some other need. We often call this eating “comfort
food” eating. When we eat to meet this kind of need our heart is not content.
It is this discontentment that is the problem.
When our heart is content our eating won’t
get out of balance. Now, on to our proverb.
Our proverb tells us that when we are in
proper relationship to the LORD our needs will be met. We will have what we
need. But those who disobey will not have what they need. There is incentive to
be obedient.
But the problem with this incentive is that
there may not be an immediate payoff. And in a culture where immediate
gratification has become an art form, this is often a problem for us. Even the
chimes on our cell phones have been designed to tap into this problem and give
us a little boost. Video games, even the “innocent” ones on Facebook, have been
designed to suck us in. The longer we play, the longer the ads stay in front of
our eyes. So the sights and sounds are program to do things at particular
trigger points to keep us engaged. We think we are playing the game, but really
the game is playing us!
There are righteous ways to have our needs
met. We need to learn to recognize when we are satisfied and stop. Want and
need are two very different things. But we often get them confused. The LORD
says that the righteous will have enough to be satisfied. There is no promise
of freakish abundance. We don’t need a 3000 square foot house with an in-ground
pool and five car garage filled with expensive cars.
I have to admit that I don’t always know
when enough is enough. But I have full assurance that the LORD will provide
what I need. I am working to get my wants submitted to Christ. It is still in
progress.