What Motivates You?

I have lots of reasons as to why I want to eat well.

As I started on this change in my life, I realized that I had become enslaved. I don't want to be enslaved by anything...."..'all things are lawful for me' but I will not be enslaved by anything."(1 Cor 6:12).
I want my life to be a testimony to the power of the Spirit-especially to my daughters
I want to honor and glorify God
I want to please God
I want to walk in manner worthy of my Savior

These are all wonderful, and Biblical goals and reasons. But as I worked on my study this week, I grappled with the idea of what exactly will motivate me to even do these things. I know these things;
"I need to honor and glorify the Lord! I will eat right!"
"My testimony is horrible! I will eat right!"
"This is not pleasing to the Lord! I will eat right!"

We are all little legalists at heart....give me a list to check off of things to do! Yes!

But what motivates me to even do these things? Or to keep me going when the going gets tough? Why do I want to please the Lord? Why do I want to glorify the Lord? Why do I want my testimony of Him to be powerful?

The Gospel.

I can't do these things if I am not seeing His love for me through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"If you love me you will keep my commandments." John 14:15
"We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

I cannot love Him and keep His commands(i.e, to please Him, to glorify Him, etc) until first I see how much He has loved me through Christ and the cross.

It's the gospel that will motivate me in this. Because He has loved me and rescued me....because of the promises He has made to me I overflow with love and thankfulness and this moves me to want please Him.

What motivates me? The gospel.

I love how God is causing me to grow in a deeper understanding of the cross and all it means to and for me. This will continue for all of my life...and in fact...all of eternity.

Praise the Lord!

So this last week has gone very good. I've eaten well...now I need to get on the exercise portion.
Surprisingly, I didn't struggle at all with eating good. First time in years I've been able to make it through a day let alone an entire week..with a good attitude! All glory to God...clearly it's not me.

Went to a wedding on Saturday and did not even give it a second thought to enjoy the celebration and feasting. I think this is right and Biblical thinking. There is a time for everything. A wedding is a time to feast. The next day I got right back on track...no problem.

I'm excited to be leading a study, Uncommon Vessels: A Program for Developing Godly Eating Habits & Love to Eat, Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick.
It looks like there will be 8 other ladies from my church joining me in this endeavor to glorify God in our eating...not just to lose weight...but for a lifetime.

Stan has his group tonight...so I shall spend an evening at home with my two youngest....who knows what we will do....watch Japanese dramas?

So....I was thinking....I'm starting this new study at church...I'll be leading it.....and I thought...maybe I will post my journey through this study on my blog.

The study is Uncommon Vessels: A Program for Developing Godly Eating Habits.

Yep....I'm movin' to honor and glorify God in the way I eat.

I don't think much about eating. Well, actually I think about it...but not in a God-glorifying way. Usually I'm thinking about what sounds yummy.....instead of thinking what would glorify God.
So really, my thinking is wrong thinking.

I'm praying God will use this study, and the accountability I will have leading it, as a means of grace in my life....so that, not only will I get healthy, but more importantly, glorify Jesus.