Devotional for Dieters

[Judy Harder]

August 20


Luke 10:41-42
And Jesus answered and said unto her, 'Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.'


Angie brought home a new diet book each week. She had a closet full of exercisers guaranteed to take off pounds and inches. She had a cabinet full of pills, powders, and liquids bearing promises of miraculous weight loss. Cindy just shook her head. Why go to all the trouble? Losing weight wasn't going to come from anywhere except from inside the person who wanted to lose it. Desire was the main ingredient. It was too easy to get caught up in fads and fancy claims. A quiet determination to lose weight was what was really important. Angie lost a few pounds, while Cindy lost many.

Today's thought: It's hard to lose weight when you have a fat head!

[Judy Harder]

August 21


2 Timothy 2:21
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.


Gary couldn't believe what he was hearing. He hadn't been se-lected for the mission because he was just a few pounds overweight. Harrison was trimmer, but that didn't mean he was any better as a pilot. How could they turn him down because of a few pounds? Often being fit is determined by how trim and slim we are. It may not be fair, but it shows the value that is put on keeping in shape. God wants us to be in shape so we can enjoy this life we have been given to the fullest. He intends that we should always be ready to experience all that life has to offer. We can only do that when we take proper care of ourselves.

Today's thought: I am making myself fit for life!

[Judy Harder]

August 22


Titus 3:4-5
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.


It was a miraculous metamorphosis. Darleen had lost one hundred pounds. Though everyone encouraged her as much as possible, no one really believed she could do it. The proof was before their eyes: Darleen looked great. Someone asked her how she had done it, and she told them that a crisis in her life had made her realize she didn't just need to lose weight, she needed to be saved from her own body. She fell in her kitchen and had not been able to get up again. Through her pain and frustration, she believed she was being taught a valuable lesson. She thanked God that He had gotten through to her before it was too late.

Today's thought: Save me from being a prisoner to obesity!

[Judy Harder]

August 23


Romans 8:35, 37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.


Christ makes us conquerors. He offers us unimaginable power through the Holy Spirit. Nothing can separate us from that love and power. That power enabled Jesus Christ to conquer death. It allowed the apostle Paul to conquer his afflictions. It allowed Peter to overcome his doubts and fears. If the Holy Spirit could do that for those great men, then why shouldn't we be able to believe that the Spirit will help us lose weight? Indeed, we can even conquer obesity through the divine power of God. Nothing can stop us from achieving our goal, because the power of God is with us.

Today's thought: I will burn up calories in the fire of the Holy Spirit!

[Judy Harder]

August 24


Philemon 7
For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.


Phil had a lousy self-image. He felt unwanted and unloved. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw an enormous slob. No one could love that. Dieting didn't even make sense. It was useless. Nothing would ever change. Poor Phil honestly believed he was unloved. He had no reason to change because he saw no hope for his future. How sad that Phil didn't know the love of God. We can proceed with our diets knowing that we are loved and that we are lovable. Just knowing that makes it all worthwhile. We draw strength from the comfort that comes from being loved. That strength ensures that we can lose the weight we want to lose.

Today's thought: Special people can do anything they set their mind to, and I am a special person!

[Judy Harder]

August 25


Luke 6:37
'Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.'


Kelly was unbearable. She had lost thirty pounds with relative ease, so she ridiculed anyone who couldn't do it as easily as she had. Kelly wasn't being fair. Every person is different. It didn't mean that others weren't as committed or as dedicated as Kelly had been. It was frustrating to try so hard and then have Kelly make fun of you for it. Why couldn't she have a little compassion? After all, she had been obese once! After losing weight, we should be more compassionate than anyone else. It is important to remember how hard losing weight really is. We have a wonderful opportunity to help others when we keep in mind what we've come through.

Today's thought: I hope I can lose my weight without losing my sensitivity toward others!

[Judy Harder]

August 26


2 Timothy 4:18
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


Wes looked at the sign on the refrigerator door: God is watching! What a thought! Everything he did was under God's watchful eye. A slight groan escaped his lips as he thought of the times he'd cheated through the week. He hoped it was worth it. Actually, Wes kind of liked the sign. It made him think, and once he got to thinking, his diet wasn't so bad. God had helped him avoid a lot of unnecessary snacks. There were worse things to have happen to you than to have God watching every move you made. Wes felt pretty confident. With God's help, he was really going to make it through this thing!

Today's thought: God's steering me clear of the fat traps!

[Judy Harder]

August 27


Ephesians 2:14-15
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.


As wrong as it was, Rachel had to admit that being thin helped her fit in. She really wasn't a different person now that she was thin, but people sure treated her that way. It was unbelievable that people were so biased against those who were fat. Rachel sighed a prayer of thankfulness to God that He had helped her lose weight. It was hard, being on the outside. Nobody likes being ostracized. She also prayed that God might make people see how unfair it was to judge others based on their appearance. If God could help Rachel lose weight, perhaps He could change the bigotry of some concern-ing obesity.

Today's thought: Fat or skinny, I'm the same person inside!

[Judy Harder]

August 28


Jeremiah 30:22
'And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.'


The covenant that God made was quite simple: He would be God to a group of people who would accept Him and honor Him. God's promises are always simple and straight-forward. There are never strings attached. God will do everything He can to help us deal with this life. He wants to see His children happy and fulfilled. That is why He will help us when we need His comforting strength. Alone, we just don't have what it takes to make it. With God, however, there is no force on Earth great enough to keep us from our goal. Remember God, and truly He will remember you in time of need.

Today's thought: My willpower comes from the strongest power source around!

[Judy Harder]

August 29


Ephesians 3:16
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.


Herm couldn't figure out why he wasn't losing weight. He knew he wasn't eating as much as he had before he retired. When he was on the road, he ate like a horse. Now that he was home around the house all the time, he ate a lot less. Something definitely wasn't right. Losing weight requires much more than just changing our eating habits. We need to change our whole outlook on things. Sometimes we need to cut back on food while increasing the amount of exercise we get. Other times we need to give up certain foods altogether. We need to evaluate deep inside how we live out our lives, and make adjustments necessary to succeed in losing weight.

Today's thought: Dieting doesn't happen on its own. It takes a conscious effort!