Valentine's Day--with its dark, delicious, deadly chocolates--is a wonderful memory for another year--and if on that decadent day you indulged with guilty delight in a diet-free world, then this devotional is for you! Well, it's really for me--but I thought you'd enjoy it too--and if you can relate, relax; we're in this together!
You see, I went for a mad one-mile walk one day--AFTER a mad run-in with the scales at my doctor's office. Needless to say, without going into painful detail, I needed that walk! And as I walked, I thought--WAY back to the tall, skinny high schooler who is no more--now replaced by the phunny phat woman who's having great phun making phun of herself right now! Well, PHOOEY on PHAT! Sounds like the first line of a cheer we could all create, and the exercise wouldn't hurt us either!
Back to the walk...my weird mental processes moved on from my own memories to a dream Joseph in the Bible interpreted for the king. Remember the fat and skinny cows? Joseph revealed the meaning of the dream to the king--and lived happily ever after. As thoughts "churned" around in my walking mode, I suddenly saw that at the end of the street where I was walking, behind a wired farm fence, the phat COWS from the king's dream had came to LIFE--at least 25 or 30 of them--they startled me--I kid you not--the cows really WERE there, honest, and it was quite phunny--!
Now what in the world do the phat cows have to do with this devotional? Not much - except to remind us all that God does indeed have a delightful sense of humor; and beyond that, to know that the BIBLE has no weight limits, no diet plans, no calorie counters--and no body weight scales! It actually describes the fruitful Christian as "fat and flourishing" -- in spirit and soul, that is! And so, if you and I need to lose a little phat, we need to work on that, of course, but we also need to know that HE loves us just the way we are--AND with a fat and flourishing soul besides!
Daily work-outs and walks with Him are included in the over-all plan for our spiritual health--and running the race will help keep us in tip-top shape as we serve the Lord. So go ahead--get ONE more piece of that chocolate candy--phooey on the phat--discipline and diet can begin tomorrow! But for today--and every day--let's reach for the riches of God's Word--indulge to our heart's delight and let our spirits and souls grow "fat and flourishing" in the faith of our wonderful Lord...
And now, back to that box of Russell Stover's...we can have ONE more piece...and then NO MORE! Believe THAT--and have a phat-free day!!
Delight in a Word from the Well--a refreshing in the Water of His Word
"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing, To show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him (Psalm 92:13-15)."
Draw from the Well--a prayer for renewing strength for this day
"Lord, we place so much emphasis on our physical bodies--we do battle with discipline, delight, diet and desserts--and sometimes we lose! But Lord, there's something so much more important than the physical; it's our spiritual well-being. May we be as concerned about the inner man as we are about the body in which it is housed. Make us "fat and flourishing" in the life that really matters--life in YOU, In Jesus' Name, Amen."
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TODAY'S FEATURED LINKS!
Russell Stover.com
A Royal Workout!--a devo with health and exercise links!
Your DAILY ASSIGNMENTS!
My Personal, Indescribable Christ--Scripture for ALL Seasons!
Words from the Well poem--A prayer you can pray each day!
The Christian Armor Room at Peggie's Place--A reminder to put on your armor today!
Your DAILY HUMOR:
Church of the Covered Dish--A daily Christian cartoon strip you'll love!
Reverend Fun--Another fun Christian cartoon of the day!
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