God’s Word on GluttonySample

Too much food = drowsiness

When you eat too much, you love too little. After studying all seven references to gluttony in the Bible, this is the conclusion that I came to, a conclusion that I needed since I LOVE food.

Here’s the primary Scripture that led me to that conclusion: “Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path: Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” (Proverbs 23:19-21). Eating too much food or drinking too much wine leads to “drowsiness,” among other things.

I bet you already knew that. It’s most obvious an hour after a Thanksgiving feast, but you’ve felt that drowsiness after any supersized meal. God designed your body for a certain amount of food, and when you violate that design, a consequence is drowsiness.

Why does that matter? Because an hour after your meal, God has good works for you to do. God has, perhaps, a good book he wanted you to learn from, a time of prayer he wanted you to be alert during, a spouse he wanted you to listen to, a neighbor who needed a hand with a home project, or a kid who needed more than another day with Dad zoned out on his phone. But you can’t pour much love into them if you’ve just put too much food into you.

Why is God against gluttony? Because God is for love.