Eating Too Much – Food for Thought

Most people agree that eating too much is bad for you, since at the very least you can get indigestion, and possibly a lot more! In our Western culture we tend not to think of it as sinful, but is that right or not?

I know that in my own life I struggle often with the temptation to eat more than I need to, or than I planned to. This is partly because I’m on a diet as I still have baby weight to lose, but also because, like many others, I drift towards comfort eating when I feel tired or down. It is always good to call sin what it is so that we can knowingly fight it, and in the past I have mainly put it down to a lack of self-control. Then more recently I realised it can also be idolatry, since I am turning to food for comfort when I should be turning to God. It had not really occurred to me that my struggle could also be gluttony because I had always considered that as an extreme, like eating 30 doughnuts in one go!

Then the other week I was flicking through one of my favourite books – ‘The Christian Directory’ by Richard Baxter.  The title of ‘gluttony’ caught my eye so I started reading it and couldn’t put it down, as there was some really good food for thought. I will post some of the highlights I found (paraphrased in updated English). We have freedom in Christ so we should look at it more from the perspective of, ‘Does this please God?’ because we love Him. I don’t think this is something we can draw a line in, and is between us and God, but I think it is helpful to think through some of this stuff!

What is Gluttony

• Gluttony is a voluntary excess in eating, to please the appetite or some other carnal desire
• It may be an excess in quantity, luxury, cost, or frequency of eating
• How much is an excess will vary depending on the person and their circumstances
• Pleasing the appetite is not all sin, only when it is set on our own and not God’s goals, and does not help our health or responsibilities

Causes of Gluttony

• A large appetite combined with a mind and will set on pleasing the flesh
• Lack of self-control, faith and spiritual appetite
• Habit – the more the appetite is used to being satisfied, the more gluttony will be increased
• Idleness and lack of diligence in our calling
• Pride caused by wealth
• The custom of urging others to eat more
• Thinking that our money is our own, to use as we want, when it is from God
• Ignorance of what helps or hurts our health
• It is so common that we think it is OK

The Greatness of the Sin of Gluttony

• It is idolatry, since it takes hold of our heart, which God should have
• It is suicide, since it kills slowly
• It is a deadly enemy to the mind and makes us unfit for serious study, and more wanting to sleep than to hear or read God’s word
• It dulls the body as well as the mind, making us drowsy and lazy
• It feeds all other lusts by pampering the flesh
• It is a great time-waster – so much time is spent in getting the money for it, then preparing the food, then sitting to eat, then all the time that is lost in sickness as a result
• It is costly, and consumes money that could be used for better purposes
• It is worse when you think of the poor who don’t have enough to eat
• It is worse because it is so frequently committed

Directions to Help Against It

• Subdue the flesh and use it as your servant
• Live for God and feed on spiritual delights
• See all your food as provided by God
• Don’t forget sin came into the world through eating
• Keep a tender conscience and keep your appetite in check
• Find out what is good for your health and let that be what you usually eat
• Understand that most people have an appetite for much more than they need
• Try not to make your meals a temptation to yourself or others
• Try not to sit too long at meals, or spend more than you need to on food – let reason be the judge of necessity, and not pride or gluttony
• Resolve to give excess money to the poor or another charitable use
• Don’t over-persuade people to eat when there is no need
• When you feel your appetites are eager against reason and conscience, check them
• Remember what your body is and how it will soon be in the dust, don’t spend too much money on a feast for those worms (I like that one! :))
• Go into the house of the poor sometimes and see what they eat
• Look at the lives of Christians of the past and how they were often fasting and abstaining

Reading this, we may think it doesn’t apply to us. But I think it applies to a lot more of us than we realise, in some way or other. Most people (in our culture) do eat more than they need at times, it does affect our time with God, and we can be more controlled by our desire for food than we should be. I remember learning in medical school that a lot of diseases have ‘diet’ as a primary cause, and cure, especially cardiovascular problems. Our health would often be better if we were more careful with what we ate, and we could live to serve God better and longer. ‘Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ 1 Corinthians 10:31