EXERCISING MODERATION

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit. Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—too much of you, and they will hate you.

Proverbs 25:16-17      

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

My wife and I were having a conversation the other day regarding eating right. We’re currently both evaluating our diets and committed to make healthier choices when it comes to what we consume. We have already done a pretty good job at this but you can always do better and as we grow older, we want to ensure we do all we can do to ensure we remain available for the Lord’s service whenever He calls us.

Of course, the challenge that comes with eating is that there is so much available for us to choose from. Perhaps there are more options when it comes to food than any other thing we get to enjoy in life. There are truly a seemingly endless number of potential items we can opt for.

Now, on the surface, this looks like it’s a plus. We don’t have to eat the same old things all the time because that’s all that’s available to us. Shouldn’t we rejoice and be glad in this?

After all, doesn’t the old saying go like this?

Variety is the spice of life.

This is what the world says but not what the Lord would say. For although there are any numbers of foods we could eat, there are foods we should stay away from in order to preserve our good health. Going back to the discussion my wife and I had, there are lots of foods to eat but that doesn’t mean we need to eat them. Some are much better for you than others and if we just focused in on the healthy foods we enjoy eating, we would find we will have more than enough to keep us energized and nourished every day. In other words, we don’t need to eat everything to stay healthy while in the Lord’s service.

Perhaps the easy way to ensure we’re eating right is to use the same principle we should be using to ensure our behavior is correct. Of course, I’m talking about the principle of prayer. For if we pray over the foods we could eat, the Lord will guide us to the ones He wants us to have and will use those foods to nourish us in preparation for His calling and purposes.

Looking at the two verses from today, we find that there is more than what we choose to eat or do that matters. For there is a matter of moderation involved in doing anything and there is always the possibility that we can do too much of a good thing with negative consequences. Look at these two verses, one at a time:

If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit. Proverbs 25:16

Most people would tell you that eating honey is good for you. Medical research has shown that is helps with a number of physical ailments, particularly relating to gastro-intestinal problems. But despite its positive nature, there still are limits as to how much honey you can consume, just as there are limits to anything we eat. Solomon spells it out pretty clearly. Eat too much honey and you will be sending it back out the mouth it entered. Not a pretty thought.

This merges nicely with the matter of portion control when it comes to the things we eat. For it’s not enough to just watch the foods we dine on, ensuring they are foods that are good for us. We need to carefully watch how much we eat so we do not fall into gluttony.

The matter of moderation doesn’t only apply to the food we eat. For we are meter how much time we impose on our neighbors as well. This brings us to the second verse in this nugget of wisdom from God given to us through Solomon:

Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—too much of you, and they will hate you. Proverbs 25:17

If you want to continue to have a good relationship with your neighbor, then be careful how much time you spend in their property and presence. Spend too much time there and you will be seen as a liability, tiresome, annoying, and irritating to the point of hatred. Hardly the way that neighbors are supposed to be (Remember how many times Jesus called us to love our neighbors?) Perhaps there is some biblical wisdom contained in another old saying:

Don’t wear out your welcome.

In the end translation, life offers us a lot to choose to do and experience but we should take the time to savor the blessings the Lord has given us and we can best do that when we exercise moderation and do it regularly.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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