Self-discipline starts with small steps. It is a great journey! From what does one draw the inspiration for self-discipline? Rules and regulations, of course! This is the sole purpose of His Law. A greater personal and community self-discipline would arise, if we follow His Law where the bounds of local, state, and federal secular laws permit. And, what is one of the Fruits of His Spirit? Temperance. How might we gain a full infilling of His Spirit, if we do not first follow His Law where able. A few of the simplest Laws which one might follow are the dietary Laws. The first was given in Genesis before the fall of mankind:
[Gen 1:11-12, 29 KJV] 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. ... 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Yet, man fell and lost some of the beauty that the Lord prepared for him in this life's existence. And, although men frown on animal sacrifice for sin and transgressions, Dave Thomas, Ronald McDonald, Ruth Chris, and Marie Callender are responsible for countless sacrifices each day, albeit they are not members of the levitical priesthood. Plus, many of the dishes which they prepare "miss the mark" based upon His Law.
First,
[Exo 23:19 KJV] 19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
So, a mixture of beef and milk is considered a "sin". A Hebrew gentleman once taught that this is a humane code of compassion. Cooking an animal, if one must, should not be done in the food that nourished him when he was an infant at his mother's teat. Doing so, is maniacal and cruel. It is deem diabolical for the faithful, who profess that they are beacons of His Love, Mercy, and Compassion.
From a medical stand-point, meats mixed with meats, such as beef, are high in "bad" cholesterol and lipids (fat). Such can cause obesity, plaque in arteries and veins, plus heart disease.
Second,
[Lev 11:7 KJV] 7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he [is] unclean to you.
[Deu 14:8 KJV] 8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it [is] unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.
With swine, from the standpoint of His Law and medicine, it is simply a case of cleanliness. Pigs, by the Lord's Design, deal with uncleanliness in our environment, They ingest what we should not in the natural cycle of world's food chain, recycling from the Earth what our bodies cannot. Swine cannot become diabetic. Their pancreases are highly robust and resilient. In physiological terms, their islets of Langerhans are plenteous. These are the insulin producing organelles in the body of a mammal.
The Lord did not gift us with this "strength". So, he does not place the burden of consuming the harsh food matter that they do upon us. From he who has much, much is require.
Furthermore, swine often carry parasites. Most notably the trichina worm often is resident in their flesh.
[Pro 15:17 KJV] 17 Better [is] a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
Yet, the topic is temperance. Much like a halt man, recovery starts with performing the simplest of motor skills that stimulate the numerous pathways within the in the central nervous system. The movement of the small finger or toe in a limb with paralysis can be a step toward running, jumping, climbing, and throwing in the future days.
If one can simply control what he places in his gullet, he can have better control of what flows from his heart and mouth. We must be careful when me make decisions upon what we ingest, for it becomes part of us. Choose Life.
The writer is in many ways an unfit vessel for providing this message. After over a decade of chaste celibacy as an adult male, he fell. Escaping the grips of pornography and fornication, addictions which starting during foolish, yet promising teen years. These troubles resurfaced.
And, the second fall, although he learnt much from the first, is worse in certain ways. After promising the Lord, the he would always serve Him, follow His Teachings, and abstain from any type of fornication, he did not adhere.
Job was forgiven for the foolishness of his youth and count as history's most righteous man in the Word. At mid-life, he was wise enough that he would rise daily, enter prayer and devotion, and offer sacrifice for his children, in case they had committed an offense. Yet, at this age his wisdom, faith, and devotion, derivatives of his love for his El-Shaddai, keep his from the behaviors in which he partook during the foolishness of youth. He was grown. He was a responsible adult.
And our adherence and devotion is a question of love for Him. Jesus was faithful until death. He does not ask that much from us. And, the spirit of pornography and fornication is one of steeped hatred. God is Love.
[Rom 8:7 KJV] 7 Because the carnal (fleshly) mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
When one truly has the Love of God in his heart, fornication and pornography will not enter his mind. Yet, many American adults believe that these are simply part of a normal adult's life. Yet, normal and acceptable are not necessarily the same. If a medical specialist says that one is of "normal" weight based upon the American "super-size me" population, is his weight acceptable? He might be somewhat obese, based upon what his most "healthy and ideal" weight should be.
So, temperance starts with small steps. This is how this writer first gained control of his unhealthy behaviors in his late twenties. And while praying for an infilling of the Holy Ghost and evidence of the fruits in his life, he started observing His Law where he could. This started with controlling what he ate. And, it progressed until he attain the level of chaste Christian celibacy. And, it is a great life!
His Mercy is found in His Law which some call harsh. Yet, it is a matter of how one applies such.
[1Sa 15:22 KJV] 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.
And, Samuel's life is the beauty of the kept promise that one barren woman, named Hannah, kept for her Lord.
It has been found from life's experience that if, one observes dietary Law, he is deemed a follower of a non-Christian doctrine. And, many Americans insist that one partakes in certain foods. They say, "Oh, you will not die...". If one does not, he is often shunned. This is partially from ignorance and shown from the lessons in His Word. Wolves exist among the sheep, and they all call themselves the "faithful" few. Yet, when one say that he has a medical condition and cannot eat certain foods, because a physician says so. This is allowed, seeing that it is not an issue of faith in El-Olam, but faith and trust in a human physician.
And, on the phrase, "Oh, you will not die." Does it remind you of the classic one from history told eve, "Surely, you will not die." Adam and Eve did not dies; yet, they lost the beautiful life that they had. The writer has seen a beauty of life that few know with over a decade of chaste Christian celibacy. It was not easy, but was less of a challenge than the Cross. Plus, is anything truly worth having all that easy? A beauty world requires work.
And, did a graduate of John Hopkins say "Let there be light and set the world in motion.". Did the chief physician of the Mayo Clinic, suffer the ignominious Crucifixion, strive three days in Hell, snatch the key of condemnation, death, and eternal damnation from the claws of satan, for you and I, so we might enjoy the remission of sin and a life more abundant. Will the Dean of Harvard Medical School come and establish a new Jerusalem, bringing eternal peace. Nay, Yet, the work of Jehovah Rapha is restorative and eternal, if we follow His Word. Yes, all of it.
Might we set ourselves free from human idols, those who ingest an elephant yet can only muster sufficient strength that they can pass a gnat.
[Mat 23:24 KJV] 24 [Ye] blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Might The Future Bring You Greater Peace Through the Acceptance of the Temperance Gained Through the Law in His Word.
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