LIVERMORE – At the North Livermore Baptist Church Aug. 4 service, the congregation was welcomed by Pastor Bonnie Higgins at 9:30 a.m. to begin the service. The Call to Worship, Invocation/Lord’s Prayer were recited. The hymns that were sung were “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”, “At Calvary”, and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”. The service ended with Communion. Linda Lyman is the organist, Janet Diaz is the pianist, and Lew Lyman leads the music for the congregation each week.

The sermon, titled “Gluttony – Have You Had Enough?” and scriptures from 1 Corinthians 10:31. Pastor Bonnie began saying that gluttony isn’t all about the waist line. It can also affect our spiritual life. Yes, gluttony is primarily talked about with food and alcohol, it really is anything that takes over or if someone over-indulges in their life. Since some people’s genetics or medications will increase their waist line, it isn’t all about the amount of food they are eating. This is not what we are talking about with gluttony.

What is gluttony? It is overeating or drinking to a point that a person has no will power to stop it. But it can include any natural desire or need taken beyond healthy boundaries. Gluttonly is like all the other seven deadly sins has to do with our hearts attitude. It isn’t all about our appearance. There are skinny people who are overtaken with the sin of gluttony.

Let’s look at the food/alcohol part of gluttony. When someone keeps eating because they won’t stop, and the same with drinking, they are not using their body as a temple for God. A glutton is a person that can never be satisfied or filled, either with their appetite that they to seek to fill or fill themselves with the tings of this world. How does this affect your spiritual life? From a biblical perspective it has to do with self-indulgence, it is taking into your body more than your body needs.

In other words, I crave, what I crave and want. God gave us an appetite and He intended us to use it, but not to overdo it or over indulge in it. When we over indulge in something, we think about, dream about, and long for, more that God Himself. The first commandment states that we shall have no other God above Him, but when we are indulging in other things more than we should, we are actually putting it above God.

What we put into our bodies, is who we become. If we put more of this world, like food, drink, lust, greed, envy, etc. in our life, we actually are pushing God out of our life. We need to train our mind and our body to have the right attitude for what God wants for us in this world. We may be living in this world for now, but we are not of this world. Our lives are with Him and what He wants for each of us. Not only does a gluttonous attitude keep you from God, it limits the power of God that can be at work in you and through you.

Sin, in all its forms, limits the spirit of God in each of us. We know that sins are deadly to our souls, God longs for us to know the joy and peace of His presence ruling in our hearts. We need to allow the leadership of Jesus rule over our life, to control what we do, through our thoughts, emotions, and our actions in our life.

Jesus has said He will quench our thirst and is the bread of life. When we feel we need to over-indulge in this life, let us look towards Him in His Word, pray, worship, and let us seek Him first.

Announcements: we will be collecting Crackers for the Food Pantry in August. Bible Study – Tuesday at 1 p.m.