Num 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic.

On the surface this verse sure appears to be a healthy diet and we could dismiss it as a job well done. But the gist of the verse for dieters is, "We remember...we did eat freely." Even as we escape bondage we have the familiar and comforting memories of the days we ate to our excessive heart's content. To complicate it even more so, many of these excessive meals were done under the guise of freely, when we gathered at family or friends homes for a social event and was supplied, for free, an over-abundance of foods.  We can not escape our memories, but we can escape the longing to eat freely---no holds barred.

We must now place restraints on our appetites. We must now moderate our portions. Every high calorie food we do consume will show up on the scale. We might reserve a day or two for feasting, but we have to budget our intake the days that follow, or even more wisely, the days that precede an occasion so that the scale does not penalize us. We are on a journey out of Egypt and into the Promise Land and we must have stronger memories to guide us on how good skinny feels, when compared to obesity.

We take the time to thank the Lord for showing us His Plan. We are grateful that restraint is now present in our life. We are doing what it takes to put the past behind us. We forget those foods that led to robbing us of normalcy in body weight. Gone is the fired chicken. The potato chips is no longer purchased. The banana splits is no longer a Sunday ritual in the family. This trek out of Egypt is well worth it as God delights to feed us our daily bread and we receive it with gratitude.

Lord God, weight loss is a great reward for our obedience. Help us to always remember that You are pleased with obedience. Thank You for setting us free. Amen

Rev 7:16 "They will not hunger [any] longer, nor by any means will they thirst [any] longer, nor will the sun fall [fig., beat down] on them, nor any heat. (ALT)

Today's reflection gives a bird's eye view of one of the delights of heaven.  As dieters, it was not that we experienced hunger more than any other; it is that we focused and dwelled on hunger more than we ought to, if truth be told. We were obsessed with food to the point of obesity, more so than others. Our hunger was not genuine hunger but appetite out-of-control. We relish (no pun intended) that first day of our arrival in heaven where we will not hunger any longer. We will no longer have to get in our quota of daily water to tide us through, for we shall neither thirst. What a joyful day this will be when with what had consumed our thoughts, will no longer be a concern.

With the elimination of self and the putting on of the spirit, we shall no longer be bound to earthly and sensual lusts. We will no longer count calories and measure portions. We will no longer need the scale or the affirmation from others that we did good on our Plan today. God takes care of all these burdensome interests of ours by removing them. No wonder not a better word than heaven can be used to describe our eternal dwelling place. Halelujah!

Today we have the choice at hand to dwell in God's Presence by our worship and praise, or revert to the dining table to eat to our heart's "content." But we know now that food does not appease the deeper need within us for fulfillment. Only God can sustain and fill us. Let us look forward to our arrival in heaven, but in the meantime, let us dwell on the goodness of God in relieving us of overindulgence this day. Be alert! Stay in prayer! This is an ongoing battle while on earth in the body of a dieter.

Heb 13:9 Stop being carried away by varied and strange teachings, for [it is] good [for] the heart [fig., inner self] to continue being established by grace, not by foods, in which the ones having been walking about [in] [fig., having been occupied with] were not benefited. (ALT)

Strange teachings can accurately describe the dieter who has not yet been awakened. What strange things we believed. Such as, we can lose 5 or more pounds a week and sustain that pace. We can ignore all forms of activity, especially when the weight becomes more difficult to lose as we prolonged dieters know. We can continue to eat nutritiously dense and high calorie/fat foods. We can eat junk foods and not resemble what we eat health wise as long as there is not weight gain. The list continues of the fallacies we believed we could do alongside our attempts to lose weight. What was your mistaken thoughts?

Being established by grace and not foods is the cure for our plight. Grace is a pure and unmerited gift from God. We learn we have to do our part to lose weight, but the strength to overcome is given by His grace. The forgiveness we have for being so out of control comes from His grace. The ability to say no to a desired binge comes from His grace. We find that we are no longer established by the lust of food, but by the desire for more of God's grace. Fair change off isn't it?

We are no longer occupied by the things that do not benefit us. Grace can never fail us because God is unfailing and inexhaustible. Grace is mentioned 170 times in the Bible. Can you find a favorite grace verse and make that your "meat" for the day? Phm 1:25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.