Shaped For Serving God
Obesity (Part 4 of 5)
Gerry White

Elvis was, according to friends, an unfulfilled and unhappy man. He died of obesity and drug dependency at 42. And in an interview with his wife, Priscilla, she said this about her husband: "Elvis never came to terms with who he was meant to be or what his purpose in life was. He thought he was here for a reason, maybe to preach, maybe to serve, maybe to save, maybe to care for people. That agonizing desire was always with him and he knew he wasn't fulfilling it. So he'd go on stage and he wouldn't have to think about it."

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:20

  • You were made to make a contribution, not just to consume.
  • God made you to make a difference.
  • What matters is not how long you live, but how you live.
  • What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of your life.

Journal of the American Medical Association; Jan. 7, 2003, Annals of Internal Medicine

  • People who are overweight (aged 40) are likely to die at least three years sooner than those who are normal weight.
  • Obese smokers (aged 40) are likely to die 13-14 years sooner than non-smokers of normal weight.
  • Overweight, non-smokers lost an average of three years.
  • Obese female non-smokers lost an average 7.1 years.
  • Obese male non-smokers lost 5.8 years.
  • White morbidly obese men - with BMIs over 45 - lost up to 13 years of life.
  • White morbidly obese women lost as many as eight years.

According to Goddard Journal: Only one intervention has been proven to extend both the average and maximum lifespan of all tested: reducing the consumption of dietary calories.

Noah was 500/950 yrs old before God used him
Terah (Abrahams Father) was 70/205 before God blessed him
Abraham was 90 before God blessed him with the Abrahamic covenant, 100 when he had Isaac
Moses was 80 years old when God appeared to him in a burning bush and led the children of Israel in the wilderness for 40 yrs at age 120

One day while the Israelites were still camped at Gilgal, Caleb the son of Jephunneh went to talk with Joshua. Caleb belonged to the Kenaz clan, and many other people from the Judah tribe went with Caleb. He told Joshua:

You know that back in Kadesh-Barnea the Lord talked to his prophet Moses about you and me. [7] I was forty years old at the time Moses sent me from Kadesh-Barnea into Canaan as a spy. When I came back and told him about the land, everything I said was true.

[8] The other spies said things that made our people afraid, but I completely trusted the Lord God. [9] The same day I came back, Moses told me, "Since you were faithful to the Lord God, I promise that the places where you went as a spy will belong to you and your descendants forever."

[10] Joshua, it was forty-five years ago that the Lord told Moses to make that promise, and now I am eighty-five. Even though Israel has moved from place to place in the desert, the Lord has kept me alive all this time as he said he would. [11] I'm just as strong today as I was then, and I can still fight as well in battle.

[12] So I'm asking you for the hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You were there. You heard the other spies talk about that part of the hill country and the large, walled towns where the Anakim live. But maybe the Lord will help me take their land, just as he promised.

[13] Joshua prayed that God would help Caleb, then he gave Hebron to Caleb and his descendants. [14] And Hebron still belongs to Caleb's descendants, because he was faithful to the Lord God of Israel.

Joshua 14:6-14 (CEV)

Apostle Paul was in his 60's while defending Christ to Rome
John the Baptist served God in the last three years of his life

Give yourselves completely to God... so you can be tools in the hands of God, to be used for His good purposes.

Romans 6:13 (LB)

You were born for a reason and a purpose. One of the reasons you were born is that God wants to use you.

God's purpose for you is greater than anything you can imagine. However, for the greatest things you need to make yourself available to Him first.

It's a choice you need to make. In other words you need to be useable first. When you make that choice you should have the attitude of: "whatever it takes God". After you commit to be used by Him, what's next?

Step One: PURIFY MY HEART

In a large house some dishes are made of gold or silver, while others are made of wood or clay. Some of these are special, and others are not. [21] That's also how it is with people. The ones who stop doing evil and make themselves pure will become special. Their lives will be holy and pleasing to their Master, and they will be able to do all kinds of good deeds.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 (CEV)

  • What does God promise He will do in your life?
  • What does the object seem to be of these promises?
  • Who will be affected?

Then Joshua told the people to purify themselves. "For tomorrow," he said, "the Lord will do a great miracle."

Joshua 3:5 (Living)

Step 2: SANCTIFY MY BODY

Haven't you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you. [20] For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because he owns it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (Living)

Definition to sanctify means: to dedicate for special purposes.

Your hands created me and made me what I am. Help me understand so that I may learn your commandments.

Psalm 119:73 (GW)

If you can acknowledge you are God's creation, it makes it easier to obey Him.

It is honoring to God to take care of your body. You should not reject or neglect your physical body, but rather respect and protect it.

You have no way of knowing when God will assign to you a special purpose to fulfill. What can you do to resolve to take better care of yourself?

Step 3: CHANGE MY ATTITUDE

Jesus said, 'Your attitude must be like My own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve'.

Matthew 20:28

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:20

  • You were made to make a contribution, not just to consume.
  • God made you to make a difference.

What you see as your life purpose is the driving force in your life. Your attitude is directly affected by people who inner-fear with your purpose. As long as your life purpose excludes God's purpose in creating you, keeping your body fit for His service is meaningless, unattractive, and insignificant.

You are a member of God's very own family and you belong in God's household with every other Christian.

Ephesians 2:19

The key truths are these:

  1. The church is a family. It says "God's household". It doesn't say the church is like a family. It says the church is a family. It's a spiritual family. In fact, your spiritual family is going to outlast your physical family.
  2. God expects me to be a member of a family. Notice he says, "You are a member of God's very own family." That says it's God's will. It's not optional. Every Christian needs a church family.

When I commit to Christ and a church family, I commit myself to other Christians. I say, "This is going to be:

  • Where I'm going to give, and be given to,
  • Where I'm going to serve and be served,
  • Where I'll love and be loved."

At Lighthouse we function on the basis of our spiritual gifts!

1. THEY ARE NOT FOR MY BENEFIT, BUT FOR THE BENEFIT OTHERS.

Each one of you, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the spiritual gift he has received from God.

1 Peter 4:10

The Holy Spirit displays God's power through each of us as a means of helping the entire church.

1 Corinthians 12:7

Your Purpose is not for your own benefit. It's not to bless you. The gift that God gives you is given to bless other people, to bless the church. It's to help the entire church. In fact, spiritual gifts outside of the church is an unbiblical use of a gift. God meant for them to be used through the church, to build up the body.

2. The second purpose is TO PRODUCE MATURITY AND HARMONY (STABILITY) IN OUR CHURCH FAMILY.

It was he who gave gifts to men, to build up the Body of Christ so that we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and become mature. Then we shall no longer be children carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind.

Ephesians 4:11,12,13

Five commitments you need to make to serve God

COMMITMENT #1. I DEDICATE MY BODY. v. 1 "I urge you to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God which is your spiritual worship." You say, "Jesus Christ, I want to serve You. I dedicate myself. I don't understand it all, but I dedicate myself to be what You want me to be."

Once you've done that...

COMMITMENT #2. YOU ELIMINATE COMPETING DISTRACTIONS. This is the step some of you need to take now. The reason why you haven't been able to be involved in ministry is because your life is filled up with everything else but ministry.

Romans 12:2 says, "Don't conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

After the act of dedication, comes the act of elimination. If you're serious about serving God, you're going to have to cut some things out of your life. You can't keep adding and adding without taking things out. It may be less television or it may be something else. But if you put in the important things in life you're going to have to take something out that is less important.

COMMITMENT #3. EVALUATE MY STRENGTHS.

Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of the faith God has given to you.

Romans 12:3 (Phillips translation)

He says, be honest.

  • Some of you are good with words.
  • Some of you are good with numbers.
  • Some of you are good with people.
  • Some of you are lousy with people, you're good with things. You're good with projects.

God has made us different to fit us all together in the body of Christ.

COMMITMENT #4. I COOPERATE WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12:4-5

  1. Every member is a minister in Christ's body.
  2. Every member has a different function.
  3. Every member's ministry is important.
  4. Every member belongs to all the others.

Each of us is a part of one Body of Christ. The eye can never say to the hand, I don't need you. The head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you. And some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary. So God put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that might otherwise seem less important.

1 Corinthians 12

We cooperate with other believers. Nobody is an island unto themselves. I need your ministry. You need the ministry of others around you.

COMMITMENT #5. I ACTIVATE MY GIFTS.

In Romans 12:6-8 Paul says, "We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us: prophesy, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing, leadership, showing mercy."

"Just as each of us have one body with many members and these members do not all have the same functions, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others."

When you join this church, all of a sudden, you belong to everybody else. If you don't want to belong to everybody else, don't join our church because this is what it means to be a member. It's a commitment to other people. We each have different gifts according to the grace given to us. Whatever you're good at, that's what you ought to do in the body of Christ.

Will you decide to commit to:

  1. I will dedicate my body
  2. Eliminate competing distractions
  3. Evaluate my strengths
  4. I will cooperate with other believers
  5. I will activate my gifts