Great Plains Daily Devotional for 1/23/19

Luke 5:33-39 

Then they said to him, “John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.” Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’”

Recently, I attended Orders and Fellowship. The focus was on clergy health. The moment I appreciated the most was when Bishop Saenz shared about his own health struggles at one point in his ministry. He had to make some changes. My story parallels the bishop’s story and a need for a change.

Even though I’ve always exercised regularly, I will admit my eating habits weren’t the best. So, the personal phone call from my doctor a few months ago should not have been a surprise. I had been in earlier that day for a well woman check-up and she was calling to let me know my glucose levels were “alarmingly high.” She held nothing back as she explained the dangers of such high levels.
It was a wake-up call for me. Ministry can be stressful and sometimes days are long. One way I liked to deal with stress and long days was food. Not just any food but comfort food, you know, all those foods that that are high in white flour and sugar content and preferably fried. I met with a dietitian and we worked together on a plan to lower my glucose levels. The changes have not been easy, but I amazed at how much more energy I have and I’m not as foggy at certain times of the day.

In our passage from Luke, Jesus tells us you can’t put new wine into old wineskins, as they will eventually break. It’s the same for the body. Trying to keep old habits and expecting good health will only cause the body to “break.” I don’t know for sure about His eating habits, but I’m suspect Jesus made good food choices close to those on a Mediterranean menu. Also, I don’t think Jesus meant for us to work ourselves to death even he scheduled regular time to recharge and rest. I think that’s how he dealt with the stress in his ministry. And, of course, Jesus walked -- a lot.

Prayer for Reflection

Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 3:1-11