05-30-2007, 05:11 AM
Manna Issue 14
Luke 14:18 "But they all alike began to make excuses."
Proverbs 20:4 "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing."
Proverbs 13:4 "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."
I love Monday's--somehow I am refreshed after the Lord's day and am ready to start all over again. This week though was atypical. We had Memorial Day, so I am declaring this Wednesday as my start of the week day and yet another holiday named, "No Excuses Day." We begin by weighing in, journaling our food, drinking our water, and finding time to do an exercise session, if even only for fifteen minutes. No excuses! How about it? Are you with me on this declared unofficial holiday?
We are as always, looking to the Word of God to light a pathway for our actions, and our three Scriptures today tell us, "Just do it!" We must have a mindset that is opposite of the sluggard which is detestable because he is an excuse maker. To start our "No Excuse Day" off right, here is a note from God to us! "Note from God As you got up this morning, I watched you, and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday. However, I noticed you were too busy, trying to find the right outfit to wear. When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy. At one point you had to wait, fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the telephone and called a friend to get the latest gossip instead. I watched patiently all day long. With all your activities, I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me, that is why you did not bow your head. You glanced, three or four tables over and noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you did not. That is okay. There is still more time left, and I hope that you will talk to me yet. You went home and it seems as if you had many things to do. After you completed a few of them, you turned on the TV. I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it not thinking about any thing, just enjoying the show. I waited patiently, again, as you watched the TV and ate your meal, again you did not talk to me. At bedtime, I guess you felt too tired, you said goodnight to your family plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That is okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I have got patience, more than you will ever know. I even want to teach you how to love. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation. Well, you are getting up again, and again I will wait, with nothing but love for you. Hoping that today, you will give me some time. Have a nice day! Love GOD"
Last Monday we talked about our prayer life, especially as dieters. James said, "You have not because you ask not." We learned that we do have to turn to God often as dieters and especially faced with the temptations that we have surrounding us. Today almost drives the point home again as we look to what our excuses are, not only as our note from God about our lack of prayer life, but excuses in general we use when we say we can't lose weight. I stuck by this story for 4 years, "I am sitting by helplessly watching the weight pile on." I said it over and over again, but what I was really saying is that I can make an excuse why I cannot spring into action and lose weight. I solicited theory help once from one of my message board's with a post called, "Best Excuses Ever." I asked people to tell me what excuses they have said referring to why they couldn't lose weight.
Here are the top ten great ones. See if you recognize any of these one-liners in yourself.
1. I am too old to lose weight.
2. It's in my "genes!"
3. It's "baby" fat (my baby is fourteen!)
4. I have big bones!
5. My husband loves me just the way I am.
6. I'll never look as good as my friend, Lisa, anyway so why bother?
7. I've got too much to lose; I don't have the willpower.
8. Every Winter my body just tends to put on 20 additional pounds and thinks it wants to hibernate.
9. I don't want to lose weight for fear that my marriage will be threatened if I start getting compliments from other men.
10. I am not fat, I'm fluffy.
Pretty good list, isn't it? Our Scripture today is "But they all alike began to make excuse." Our excuse may be quite different than another's excuse, but it is still illogical argument which really sounds rational when we say it often enough. We know that God will not hold back His blessings to help us, if we but ask instead of supplying the excuse why we cannot succeed when we pray. In fact dieters have come about with a pretty good list of excuses as to why they fell off the diet, which is remarkably clever, if not occasionally downright funny. Here is that list for your amusement.
Diet Excuses
1. But the doughnut was calling my name.
2. I felt left out because they were eating.
3. But it was my birthday, so I had to eat the whole cake.
4. The kids over seas are starving, so naturally I have to clean my plate.
5. I had to get the bitter taste out of my mouth from eating the so-called dish, so I had a ice cream.
6. If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
7. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda.
8. When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you don't eat more than they do.
9. Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER count, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake.
10. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.
11. Movie related foods (Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.
12. Cookie pieces contain no fat-- the process of breaking causes fat leakage. Exception: Cookies sold by TEXAS D'LITES distributors. Great "Meal Replacement" with little or no FAT content, low in calories, lots of fiber, protein, and other nutritional ingredients.
13. Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife making a sandwich and ice cream on a spoon making a sundae.
14. Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and white chocolate. NOTE: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.
15. Foods that are frozen have no calories because calories are units of heat. Examples are ice cream, frozen pies, and Popsicles.
16. Only eat things that have been broken into pieces; that way, all the calories fall out.
Alright, some of them are downright silly, but may I tell you there was a few mentioned there that I have used. Especially that clean the plate theory on numerous occasions. My point is that when we use an excuse we believe it, but do we ever stop and think how silly we sound to God? Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 "But with God all things are possible." Every time that we use one of our excuses, we are actually saying to God that this donut is bigger than You are. That You cannot control an aging body. You made winters so You must want me overweight. We are telling God that He has some impossibilities to reckon with. And we know that is not true.
Our two other Scripture verses today from Proverbs describes a sluggard. A sluggard is a lazy person by reason of excuse! One says it is too cold to plow, therefore come harvest he will have nothing. And the other spends all of his time craving, but no effort is put forth. We can plainly see that action must be taken to have the desires of our hearts. We must put away excuses, not repeat them in God's ear, and ask for that strength from above to stimulate and motivate us into action. Are you ready to take action today? Make it No Excuse Day for you. Try it and see if it is really all that difficult. Set aside this one day to do all the right things on your diet that you should, and you will see that it is not incredibly difficult as you thought. And ask God to bless and multiply your efforts, so that the following day can be a No Excuse Day also. Before you know it a week will have gone by, then a month, and soon you'll be so much closer to goal weight that the momentum from all the excitement will keep you going on to cross that finish line.
On the other hand, you can make an excuse why today would not be a convenient day. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe never will be your answer. But we serve a mighty God and we need to allow Him to manifest Himself to us in a mighty way. Drop the excuses, pray along with me right now so God can hear our intent, and don't be surprised when this turns out to be the best diet day that you will ever have. As those all banded together to make excuses, in the power of the name of Jesus, let us all band together and declare this to be a victorious day for us! When we run out of excuses, we run to God! Run today to Him for help. Heavenly Father, I come to You just as I am, but for today I will make no excuse as to why I cannot succeed. Your Word tells us that You know the plans that You have for us, plans for good and to prosper, so I ask You today to help me accomplish what needs to be done without any excuse or complaint like the sluggard. Bless my efforts, satisfy my desires to be obedient, and strengthen me for the task ahead, in Jesus' name. Amen
Luke 14:18 "But they all alike began to make excuses."
Proverbs 20:4 "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing."
Proverbs 13:4 "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."
I love Monday's--somehow I am refreshed after the Lord's day and am ready to start all over again. This week though was atypical. We had Memorial Day, so I am declaring this Wednesday as my start of the week day and yet another holiday named, "No Excuses Day." We begin by weighing in, journaling our food, drinking our water, and finding time to do an exercise session, if even only for fifteen minutes. No excuses! How about it? Are you with me on this declared unofficial holiday?
We are as always, looking to the Word of God to light a pathway for our actions, and our three Scriptures today tell us, "Just do it!" We must have a mindset that is opposite of the sluggard which is detestable because he is an excuse maker. To start our "No Excuse Day" off right, here is a note from God to us! "Note from God As you got up this morning, I watched you, and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday. However, I noticed you were too busy, trying to find the right outfit to wear. When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy. At one point you had to wait, fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the telephone and called a friend to get the latest gossip instead. I watched patiently all day long. With all your activities, I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me, that is why you did not bow your head. You glanced, three or four tables over and noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you did not. That is okay. There is still more time left, and I hope that you will talk to me yet. You went home and it seems as if you had many things to do. After you completed a few of them, you turned on the TV. I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it not thinking about any thing, just enjoying the show. I waited patiently, again, as you watched the TV and ate your meal, again you did not talk to me. At bedtime, I guess you felt too tired, you said goodnight to your family plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That is okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I have got patience, more than you will ever know. I even want to teach you how to love. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation. Well, you are getting up again, and again I will wait, with nothing but love for you. Hoping that today, you will give me some time. Have a nice day! Love GOD"
Last Monday we talked about our prayer life, especially as dieters. James said, "You have not because you ask not." We learned that we do have to turn to God often as dieters and especially faced with the temptations that we have surrounding us. Today almost drives the point home again as we look to what our excuses are, not only as our note from God about our lack of prayer life, but excuses in general we use when we say we can't lose weight. I stuck by this story for 4 years, "I am sitting by helplessly watching the weight pile on." I said it over and over again, but what I was really saying is that I can make an excuse why I cannot spring into action and lose weight. I solicited theory help once from one of my message board's with a post called, "Best Excuses Ever." I asked people to tell me what excuses they have said referring to why they couldn't lose weight.
Here are the top ten great ones. See if you recognize any of these one-liners in yourself.
1. I am too old to lose weight.
2. It's in my "genes!"
3. It's "baby" fat (my baby is fourteen!)
4. I have big bones!
5. My husband loves me just the way I am.
6. I'll never look as good as my friend, Lisa, anyway so why bother?
7. I've got too much to lose; I don't have the willpower.
8. Every Winter my body just tends to put on 20 additional pounds and thinks it wants to hibernate.
9. I don't want to lose weight for fear that my marriage will be threatened if I start getting compliments from other men.
10. I am not fat, I'm fluffy.
Pretty good list, isn't it? Our Scripture today is "But they all alike began to make excuse." Our excuse may be quite different than another's excuse, but it is still illogical argument which really sounds rational when we say it often enough. We know that God will not hold back His blessings to help us, if we but ask instead of supplying the excuse why we cannot succeed when we pray. In fact dieters have come about with a pretty good list of excuses as to why they fell off the diet, which is remarkably clever, if not occasionally downright funny. Here is that list for your amusement.
Diet Excuses
1. But the doughnut was calling my name.
2. I felt left out because they were eating.
3. But it was my birthday, so I had to eat the whole cake.
4. The kids over seas are starving, so naturally I have to clean my plate.
5. I had to get the bitter taste out of my mouth from eating the so-called dish, so I had a ice cream.
6. If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
7. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda.
8. When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you don't eat more than they do.
9. Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER count, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake.
10. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.
11. Movie related foods (Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.
12. Cookie pieces contain no fat-- the process of breaking causes fat leakage. Exception: Cookies sold by TEXAS D'LITES distributors. Great "Meal Replacement" with little or no FAT content, low in calories, lots of fiber, protein, and other nutritional ingredients.
13. Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife making a sandwich and ice cream on a spoon making a sundae.
14. Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and white chocolate. NOTE: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.
15. Foods that are frozen have no calories because calories are units of heat. Examples are ice cream, frozen pies, and Popsicles.
16. Only eat things that have been broken into pieces; that way, all the calories fall out.
Alright, some of them are downright silly, but may I tell you there was a few mentioned there that I have used. Especially that clean the plate theory on numerous occasions. My point is that when we use an excuse we believe it, but do we ever stop and think how silly we sound to God? Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 "But with God all things are possible." Every time that we use one of our excuses, we are actually saying to God that this donut is bigger than You are. That You cannot control an aging body. You made winters so You must want me overweight. We are telling God that He has some impossibilities to reckon with. And we know that is not true.
Our two other Scripture verses today from Proverbs describes a sluggard. A sluggard is a lazy person by reason of excuse! One says it is too cold to plow, therefore come harvest he will have nothing. And the other spends all of his time craving, but no effort is put forth. We can plainly see that action must be taken to have the desires of our hearts. We must put away excuses, not repeat them in God's ear, and ask for that strength from above to stimulate and motivate us into action. Are you ready to take action today? Make it No Excuse Day for you. Try it and see if it is really all that difficult. Set aside this one day to do all the right things on your diet that you should, and you will see that it is not incredibly difficult as you thought. And ask God to bless and multiply your efforts, so that the following day can be a No Excuse Day also. Before you know it a week will have gone by, then a month, and soon you'll be so much closer to goal weight that the momentum from all the excitement will keep you going on to cross that finish line.
On the other hand, you can make an excuse why today would not be a convenient day. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe never will be your answer. But we serve a mighty God and we need to allow Him to manifest Himself to us in a mighty way. Drop the excuses, pray along with me right now so God can hear our intent, and don't be surprised when this turns out to be the best diet day that you will ever have. As those all banded together to make excuses, in the power of the name of Jesus, let us all band together and declare this to be a victorious day for us! When we run out of excuses, we run to God! Run today to Him for help. Heavenly Father, I come to You just as I am, but for today I will make no excuse as to why I cannot succeed. Your Word tells us that You know the plans that You have for us, plans for good and to prosper, so I ask You today to help me accomplish what needs to be done without any excuse or complaint like the sluggard. Bless my efforts, satisfy my desires to be obedient, and strengthen me for the task ahead, in Jesus' name. Amen