Just like dieting..

     Christianity is just like dieting for most people.  When people diet they set the parameters of what they eat and don't eat, where and how they exercise or don't exercise, what supplements they take or don't take and on and on.  There are manmade circumstances where we come to face the reality that we don't like our bodies or someone who is important to us doesn't like out bodies.  When we do so we may have our conscious struck and decide to do something about it.  As a result we make New Year's Resolutions that won't last through the end of the month at best.  Oh, you do that too!?  I'm glad I'm not alone.  What happens next is predictable.  We set a goal and when met we reward ourselves with eating that which we shouldn't or give in to some other undermining action that puts at least half of the weight back on within half the time it took to lose it.  Then we despair and either give up or we decide to try it again.  Within the Christians life there is this same action taken by the masses so often and then repeated over their lives until we die and leave unfinished that which we had a chance to accomplish. 
     There is nowhere to be found in the Bible a mandate to diet, be selective of what you eat, or that you aren't supposed to do this or that in order to be acceptable to an image other than the image of God.  The Bible doesn't endorse dieting anymore than telling us that our bodies are the residence of the Holy Spirit (when we let him be resident).  Matthew 6:33 tells us to "be perfect even as God is perfect."  What the Greek says is we are to "be being made perfect even as God is perfect."  We don't know if God is fat or skinny.  We do know that God is holy.  We are to be holy as God is holy.  It would do all of well to concentrate on being like God and not so much a size 10 on whomever put that standard in place.  The poor don't care who you are if you are being them food.  You can be fat, skinny and they don't care.  The homeless don't care what you drive or what you represent as much as they care if you have clothes and shelter for them.  The widow doesn't care what your status is in society when you go over to mow their lawns and trim their bushes.  The orphan doesn't care what kind of home you have if they can only have a home and family.  God cares about all of these and yet, we don't.  Why is that?  Perhaps we "do" the world in the image of ourselves and not the image of God?
     Jesus told his disciples that they needed to be on Weight Watchers.  Nope.  Jesus told his disciples they needed 20 pairs of shoes in the closets of their homes.  Nope. Jesus told his disciples that they were to go forth and make disciples of all who would believe.  Yes!  Jesus told his disciples to care for the poor, the orphan and the widow.  Yes!  See the difference?  The first two were in the image of man while the second two are in the image of God.  Perhaps the diet we need to be on is self-denial.  Giving up our so called "rights" and living the obligation of love that God asks us to live.  What would happen if you were to go out and preach the Gospel to all men, women and children?  What would happen if you were to go take care of the poor, the orphan, and the widow?  What would it be like to be in the image of man and stand before God versus being in the image of God and stand before him?  God can only use the surrendered life, the surrendered heart and the surrendered hands of his followers.  What has he asked you to do that you aren't doing?  What has he asked you to do that you don't do because it doesn't fit your image?  It's your choice.  It's always your choice.