Devotional for Dieters

[Judy Harder]

March 24


James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.


The cake looked great. Jim waited as long as he could, then, when his wife left the room, he grabbed a small piece. Thinking he would stuff it quickly into his mouth before his wife returned, he turned quickly, and the cake fell from his hand. He reacted instinctively and snatched the falling cake. As his wife reentered, he tried to hide his cake-covered hand, but to no avail. He was caught, and there was no way to deny it. We need to stick to our diets and keep our hands clean of the foods we know we should avoid. Draw close to God and away from food. It's the best way.

Today's thought: If you cheat, you lose everything but weight!

[Judy Harder]

March 25


Exodus 33:14
And he said, 'My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.'


The most effective diets are those with planned 'cheating' in them. Just as the children of Israel set aside a day for fasting from their daily bread, Christian dieters should set aside a day to indulge in the foods they enjoy. This makes the dieter more thankful for the special treats, as well as making the diet much more tolerable. It gives us something to look forward to, and it erases guilt from the process. We all need rest, and we will find new strength and courage when we break our diet fast occasionally.

Today's thought: Even dieters deserve a day off.

[Judy Harder]

March 26


Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee: and shall say, 'Destroy them.'


It's strange to think of food as 'the enemy,' but that's the best way to look at it if we want to be effective in our diets. Taking off the pounds is a battle. In every battle we need ammunition. As Christ-ians, our ammunition comes from the Spirit of God that dwells within us all the time. God becomes our fortress; our refuge against the assaults of fattening foods. If we think we can fight the battle alone, we will find it doesn't take long before we tire. At those times we will wish we had someone to take over. Thank the Lord that God is there, and He never tires of fighting alongside His children.

Today's thought: Dieting makes losers winners!

[Judy Harder]

March 27


Psalm 84:11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.


I can remember a time when I was on the verge of tears because I was so hungry. I had fasted for almost five straight days, and some friends of mine walked in eating cheeseburgers. The smell assaulted my nose, and the sight of the burgers caused my stomach to clutch and growl. I look back on that incident now and realize that I could not have made it, if it hadn't been for the Lord. When I think of God as my shield, I think of all the times I feel like giving up because I'm too weak to fight. At those times I'm all the more thankful that I have God to rest upon.

Today's thought: When my stomach attacks, God will defend me!

[Judy Harder]

March 28


2 Timothy 2:12
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.


Jesus Christ arose from the dead, glorified and renewed. Before He could ascend to this glory, He had to suffer many things. Much in this life requires sacrifice and suffering before we can attain it. Ask any dieter. The road to thinness is a rugged one. Be-fore we can stand up trimmer and healthier, we must buck up and buckle down. There is very little that is pleasant about dieting, except the end result. Jesus Christ understands what it means to sacrifice better than we ever can. By our sufferings we draw closer to Christ. One day we will reign with Him.

Today's thought: The power of Christ lifts me above all suffering!

[Judy Harder]

March 29


Hebrews 13:6
So that we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'


In a prison camp, the people were starved for long periods of time. One man seemed unaffected by the treatment he received. While others complained about how hungry they were, this one man stood by silently. Finally, he was asked why he seemed to be doing so well while the others all suffered so. He replied, 'I will not let my captors get the better of me. No matter what they do, they will not wear me down. I am the Lord's, and no one else has any power over my life. Men may take away my food, but only God can truly sustain me.'

Today's thought: The need for bread is all in the head!

[Judy Harder]

March 30


1 Peter 3:13
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?


Watch out! There are a lot of people who would take advantage of us, just because we are vulnerable. When we decide to lose weight, we find ourselves weak and looking for easy answers. Unscrupu-lous doctors, slick marketing gimmicks, and shyster con artists make promises and products purely for profit. They feed on poor people who want nothing more than the easiest way to take off pounds. Thank goodness we have a source of strength to resist such come-ons. God will protect us from running off after gimmicks and tricks. He is the true answer and the only way to succeed in everything we do.

Today's thought: No human plan or gimmick comes close to God's plan!

[Judy Harder]

March 31


Isaiah 55:12
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.


Our God is a God with a plan for His creation. Everything was created for a reason. God created us in His image, and His plan for us is to live a full, joyful, creative existence. We can best do this by keeping ourselves fit and trim and healthy. God rejoices, as does all His creation, when we live up to the potential He created in each one of us. When we succeed in our dieting attempts, we take a step toward fulfilling our purpose in life, and we go forth in joy and peace which passes any earthly joy or peace. Praise the Lord.

Today's thought: Thank you, Lord, for bringing me this far!

[Judy Harder]

April 1


James 1:4
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.


Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a magic wand that we could wave, and suddenly the pounds would melt from our flesh and we would be the perfect weight? I know of no one who would choose the rigors and demands of a diet over a magic wand. Unfortunately, there are no magic wands, and the only way we can lose weight is to set ourselves to the task-body, mind, and spirit. We need to ask God's help, that we might remain committed to the task no matter how long it takes. When we call on the Lord, He will grant us the patience we so badly need.

Today's thought: The longer the wait, the less the weight!

[Judy Harder]

April 2


Hebrews 10:36
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.


It seemed like forever before any weight came off. Gerri had cut way back on her food intake and exercised daily. It had been frustrating to step up on the scales day after day to find no real change. She stuck with the diet despite her despair, and now four weeks into the program it was paying off. People were beginning to no-tice the difference in her. What had seemed so painfully slow, one pound every few days, had finally added up, and she was thrilled. Waiting a little while had paid off, waiting a little more didn't seem nearly as hard.

Today's thought: I can take this diet one day at a time!