CHRISTMAS and New Year festivities include playing sport tournaments, feastings and worship services.
Worship services were conducted to reflect on the goodness of God in the past year and a time to make new resolution(s) to best serve God in the New Year.
The sport tournaments and feastings are time of entertainment and enjoyment. These celebrations would go on for several days.
The end result of sports and feasting is often reflected in the shapes and sizes of our bodies after these times of celebrations.
The sports men and women’s bodies may be slim and fit while the feasting men and women and children’s bodies may be out of the normal shape and sizes.
The normal composition of a human body is about 70% water, 19% protein, 7.5% fat, 0.5% carbohydrates and 3% minerals.
To maintain a normal body weight, shape and sizes, the food and drink intake at all times must maintain this proportion.
But during feasting times we do not think about maintaining the normal proportion of what to eat and drink rather it is the time to enjoy what is available.
It is the time of enjoyment. And during times of enjoyment we do not control the appetite but appetite controls us.
Could this contribute to the epidemic of obesity in Solomon Islands today - appetite controlling us instead of us control appetite?
Solomon Islands is a Christian nation and how many of us Christians in this nation actually realise how the great controversy between Christ and Satan is very much involved in all the decisions and activities of these festive seasons?
In fact, every decision and activity carried out during the celebration reveals ‘the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives, which ultimately will influence upon which side of the controversy an individual will be found.’
Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are good time to remember the advice of the wise man recorded in Proverbs 23:1; “When thou sittest to eat… consider diligently what [is] before thee.”
Verse 2 says: “And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [be] a man given to appetite.”
Here the wise man emphasises the need to control appetite during a time when there are so much to eat.
Self-control is best exercised whenever there are so many alternatives to choose from, as is the case during these festive seasons.
Verse 3 gives the reason for the need to control appetite because what is before you on the table “…are deceitful meat.”
Here King Solomon is warning us against the sin of luxury or extravagance, the sin of sensuality and the sin of the indulgence of appetite in eating and drinking.
Jesus warns us of the same sin in Luke 21: 34 when He said, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, (or feasting), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.”
The second coming of Christ should be our focus during any celebration.
God blesses us with the power to obtain money.
But of how much of that money is spent on food during the festive seasons to give pleasure to the body and senses rather than to honour God.
Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are times when Christians in Solomon Islands are often indulged in appetite in eating and drinking.
For example, how much sugar will be consumed during these celebrations?
And how many bags of white rice, biscuits, breads and flour and noodles will be consumed during these times of celebrations!
How much flesh food will be consumed? If we Christians indulge in appetite during these celebrations, which side of the great controversy between Christ and Satan would be honored during such celebrations?
When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, health reform was an important part of the movement that would prepare them for the Promised Land.
God gave them ‘angels’ food’, ‘the corn of heaven’ (Psalms 78:23-25) called manna to help them in their health reform. It is angel’s food.
It is the best food in the whole universe. Nothing equals to it. It contains all the essential nutrients mankind needs. It is the ideal food that will help their bodies to be a fitting temple of the Holy Spirit and as such they will develop a relationship with Christ that will lead them to agree with and submit to His truths in respect for what He has done for them.
God was preparing them for the food in the Promised Land.
But their appetite was so perverted that they lusted after the food of Egypt.
God gave them the best flesh food but all who were twenty years and above that were delivered from Egyptian bondage died in the wilderness and never entered the Promised Land except for two - Joshua and Caleb.
The Health Reform message is an important part of Christians’ preparation for heaven.
The Health Reform message is given to help our bodies to be a fitting temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19)
Only the Holy Spirit will help us to develop a relationship with Christ that will enable us to understand, accept and submit to the saving message of righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus.
As in the Exodus Movement, God uses the health reform messages to help prepare our taste for heavenly food.
The Apostle Paul said, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: (margin says ‘types’) and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)
Throughout this year 2009, 4656 visits were made to the Diabetic Clinic at the National Referral Hospital.
Could this be indicative of uncontrolled appetite amongst Christians in Solomon Islands? Oh how we have dishonoured our God with our sickly bodies.
But God still loves us and still wants to help us with the promise “…that many, many will be rescued from physical, mental, and moral degeneracy through the practical influence of health reform.” (6T, p. 378, 379)
Is it not due time for Solomon Island Christians to have a Christmas and a New Year with a difference as we come to know that dEATh is mostly EAT!
By DR DOUGLAS PIKACHA
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