Numbers 11:5-6 – We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at. (NRSV)

Whew! This verse sure brings back memories. I have been on every low calorie, fat-free, carbohydrate-light diet ever written. (I even wrote some of them!) Each became my personal bondage, my personal jail cell. Like the Israelites, I became a slave to my stomach and to food.

I couldn't/wouldn't go to this party or to that dinner or on that holiday because the food wasn't right and I was afraid of losing control. The very thing that seemed to offer freedom became my prison.

Freedom seems a little scary at first, but God offers it for our own well-being. Whether we eat, drink, work, sleep, play, clean, or even do "church" too much, God calls us to balance and moderation in all things.

1 Peter 5:8a – Be self-controlled. (NIV)

Prayer: Lord, here we are again. Keep fine tuning us so that You are always our first choice. Please point out our personal prisons to us today, and help us to walk through Your doorway to complete freedom from the excesses of our lives. Thanks again, God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Brenda Wood <brenda.w@nextcom.ca>
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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