TW Summer Study - day 7

Day Seven ~ My Body, God's Restoration Underway

The person on the path of God's provision, as we have seen, may experience a "two steps forward and one back" movement, but the direction is set. TW pg 64

Oh boy can I relate to that!!! My journey to surrender my body to the Lord has certainly been this kind of momentum...and, praise God, in the past year has also been with a set direction. To finally be persevering through the "one step back moments" is a huge victory that I can only attribute to God's grace and empowering.

The two words that kept on going through my head over and over again after I finished reading this chapter were "GLORIOUS RUINS" (as quoted by A.W. Tozer). I know that sin has such a destructive effect in my life, overeating being just one of many that I struggle with, but thinking of myself, a child of God, as "glorious ruins" is awesome! God loves me. He has made me in His image. He wants me to be transformed into His image more and more, to glorify Him. So, I give Him the ruins of my life... I want to continue ruminating on this thought.

This chapter began to push the reader to examine WHY the ruins exist...bringing us back to the concept of fat machinery. The ones I've been dealing with lately are:

Conditioned/Habitual response:

* wanting to munch on popcorn when I settle down to watch TV (especially on weekends)

* nibbling on food at the counter as I prepare the dinner meal for the family

* dinner time and weekends are definitely my most challenging times to stay on course with 0-5 as I desire to eat with the family and meals are often a little more "hearty"...plus I tend to eat more sweets at these times.

Beliefs:
* a rebellious attitude that says "I want it" despite the known consequences

* "I need sugar" to feel better/to finish off the meal etc.

Failures:

* apathy sets in at times and I eat because I feel like my efforts are not reaping the rewards I desire, so "why try?"

Each of these reasons [we choose to eat when we aren't hungry], if allowed to go unchallenged, acts as a termite-infested cedar beam in God's temple. TW pg 70

I think the next two chapters begin to set the course for renewing of the mind with truth and taking each of these triggers captive to Christ. It was a good exercise to take a fresh look at what fat machinery has taken root in my life in recent months. It is time for me to respond rather than react.

I appreciated the scripture highlighted at the close of this chapter. It gives me much hope as I know that on my own, in my own strength, I have failed and will continue to fail time and time again. But God's not leaving me helpless and unequipped for this journey, in this struggle to surrender all to Him.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3