Be the Biggest Loser...

What an awesome weekend we had! Ben got to experience DNOW with 1200 other teenagers in Wilmington at Ft. Caswell and had a wonderful time worshipping the Lord, and me, Matt, Callie & Caleb went to Myrtle Beach for the “Biggest Loser” 5K/1 Mile Challenge.  If you are not familiar with the show, “The Biggest Loser”, they take several contestants that are critically overweight and, in most cases, on the verge of a lot of health problems and teach them through drastic means how to eat healthy and exercise.  Through my own experience with weight loss, I love this show and what it has done to alert America.  We are a nation that is 67% overweight or obese, and now our children are following our footsteps.  Many people have gone through the process of losing weight and gaining healthy lifestyles through this show and it was neat to meet some of those very people this past weekend.

As important as it is to eat healthy and be active, we need to start with the fundamentals of healthy living.  That is to daily surrender our lives to the will of our Heavenly Father and give up our own desires.  We need to take these precious “temples” that God has blessed us with and make them acceptable for him.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”
--1 Corinthians 6:19

We are not our own! That means that all we do, all we are, should be for him and for him alone! Well, how do we do this?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
-- Matthew 16:24-26

Jesus said right here in his own words, “he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Deny ourselves?  We definitely live in a society that does not deny ourselves much, it is pretty obvious, but our Father says to deny ourselves and follow him.  When we lose our life for him that is where we will find it!  

Just as in the show, “The Biggest Loser”, contestants have to lose weight to save their lives physically, we as Christians, need to lose those selfish desires of our sinful natures to gain a heavenly perspective.  We need to lay down our lives daily and follow our God and our rewards will be eternal!  Be the “biggest loser” this week and see the rich, abundant life God has in store for you!

Have a blessed week!

Allison Jordan

SHBC Praise Team