New Identity Magazine

God in focus. World in scope.

  • About
  • Grow
    • Spotlight: In Perspective
    • Growth & Maturity
    • Foundation
    • Practical Application
    • Jargon
  • Connect
    • Community
    • Discovering God
    • God Talk
    • Life Together
  • Live
    • Give Back
    • People
    • Culture & Creativity
    • Careers & Callings
  • Back Issues
  • Guidelines
    • Writer’s Guidelines
    • House Style Guide
    • Content Submissions Agreement
    • Jargon Substitutions
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Contact

Thou Shalt Not Super-Size

By Cristian Vasquez Leave a Comment

Fast-food restaurants offer larger drinks and sides for a few extra cents. Buffet restaurants compete to offer the cheapest price for unlimited trips to the all-you-can-eat table. For many Americans, that is the new way of life. Get the most food for the least amount of money.

Getting more food for less is part of the demand and supply element that drives capitalism. However, with the number of people suffering from obesity rising every year and Type II diabetes becoming more common among children and adults, there is concern that the search for more food at cheaper prices is a sign of gluttonous behaviors.

“Gluttony can take the place of greed or lusting after something, namely food,” says Robert Doss, a practicing Christian. “The Bible mentions the act of gluttony several times. The bottom line is that I believe that if something gets in the way of you living for the Lord, then it can’t be good.”

With the fast-paced life that many Americans live, especially in bigger cities, stopping on the way home for an already made meal is not just cheaper at times but quick and convenient. Although the negative side effects of consuming fast-food in larger amounts may vary, in many cases it can lead to life-threatening diseases such as high-blood pressure and heart disease. “As a matter of fact, it becomes dangerous and harmful,” Doss said, “not only to your spiritual growth, but to your body as well.”

Obesity contributes to 300,000 deaths in America each year, points out certified health coach and youth pastor Jason Lohrke, who works at Take Shape for Life, a weight loss clinic. “It becomes a choice every day, but we have also been targeted; we’ve been bombarded by multi-billion dollar corporations, food companies and fast food restaurants,” Lohrke said. “We live in a free enterprise, capitalistic society which is a great thing but someone has to step up and have a heart and say ‘look, we are dying by the thousands’.”

Lohrke has helped countless amounts of people change to a healthier lifestyle through Take Shape Through Life. He is able to combine his nutritional knowledge and spiritual faith to help people make the transition to a healthy lifestyle and stay the course. “As far as food, there are a lot of different ways that we can look at who we are in Christ and what we’re supposed to be as his disciples,” Lohrke said. “From a biblical world view, our bodies are temples where the Holy Spirit resides. If our bodies are supposed to be temples then we aren’t supposed to abuse them in any way, shape or form.”

The ability to control gluttonous behavior involves more than just an attempt to diet and make the commitment to exercise. It will require that Americans who indulge in such behavior come to terms with what they are doing in contrast to what they should be doing. “It’s not impossible, but it’s very hard when every fast food restaurant and grocery store promotes their items in bulk quantity,” says Doss. “It’s up to the individual to know his or her limitations. I’ve been know to ‘super size’ a drink because I was thirsty; sometimes it takes an extra refill to clinch a thirst.”

While it is understood by both Doss and Lohrke that the ‘super size’ issue is more of a health dilemma rather than a moral one, they agree that getting caught up in having more food for less money does take control of some people’s lives. “I’ve heard about gluttonous people but I have never actually met a person who seems to live to eat,” Doss said. “We should be promoting the message that ours bodies are temples of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and we should manage it as if it wasn’t our own but God’s body.”

We should be promoting the message that ours bodies are temples of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and we should manage it as if it wasn’t our own but God’s body.

gluttony

Share with friendsShare on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on reddit
Reddit
Share on google
Google
Share on email
Email

Filed Under: Connect, God Talk Tagged With: Issue 10

Related Posts

  • What Happens In Mexico Will Not Stay In MexicoWhat Happens In Mexico Will Not Stay In Mexico
  • Eco-FabulousEco-Fabulous
  • Making Sense of the ReformationMaking Sense of the Reformation
  • Ready, Set, PrayReady, Set, Pray
  • Ministry 101Ministry 101
  • Worthy of RelationshipWorthy of Relationship

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Current Issue

Current Issue

Read Now

No Fields Found.

newidentitymag

We hope you enjoy the new issue! Check out the lin We hope you enjoy the new issue! Check out the link in our bio! Happy Fall/Winter! 🍁
We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute to the next issue! If you're interested in writing on this topic, please leave us a comment! ✨
We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute to the next issue! If you're interested in writing on this topic, please leave us a comment! ✨
How should we be using our money? - We're looking How should we be using our money? - We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute to the next issue! If you're interested in writing on this topic, please leave us a comment!
We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute to the next issue! If you're interested in writing on this topic, please leave us a comment!
We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute to the next issue! If you're interested in writing on the topic of praying continually and what that can look like in our fast-paced society, please leave us a comment! 😊
We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute We're looking for volunteer writers to contribute to the next issue! If you're interested in writing on this topic, please leave us a comment! ✨
Happy Spring! Enjoy the new issue! #linkinbio Happy Spring! Enjoy the new issue! #linkinbio
Our striving to be like Jesus or do his work on ou Our striving to be like Jesus or do his work on our own is in vain. We can never hope to achieve the same level that Jesus was on while we are still here on Earth. We’re like little kids, struggling just to walk. But that’s why Jesus gave us an example of redeemed followers in the form of the Apostles, who were his close group of students here on Earth. He chose a group of broken, sinful men, and ultimately shaped them into the group responsible for continuing his ministry here on Earth. ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: Tim VanDeWalker in "Running By Example" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's th "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." –Desmond Tutu
The Bible tells us to live in the world, but not t The Bible tells us to live in the world, but not to become like it. The New Living Translation puts it this way, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Rom. 12:2a). Some have interpreted this as an instruction to reject anything that isn’t explicitly Christian. But I don’t think that’s what this verse is getting at. I think it means much more.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: Lindsey Beharry in "Choosing Wisely" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
If you desire to serve, seek to form groups withou If you desire to serve, seek to form groups without age distinction. Maybe you want to form a group in your church. Avoid just inviting members from your age group. Seek out people older and younger than you to invite to meet together. Find that person who sits alone and talk to her or him. Instead of a focus on building groups that have the same characteristics to “relate” with one another, you center your discussion in the work of Christ. He will bring the group together. ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: Russell Almand in "Community and Age Diversity" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"If we put our faith in temporal things, they will "If we put our faith in temporal things, they will inevitably let us down. They were never meant to be enough for us. Not alone. When Barnum finally does hit bottom, he recognizes that his heart has been led astray, fooled into thinking that fame or fortune could satisfy him."⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: @slimkeman in "The Greatest Showman" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"Porn. We are only now beginning to realize the ex "Porn. We are only now beginning to realize the extent of its effects on the brain, relationships, and society at a time when sexually explicit content is just a click away. Christians have recognized pornography’s negative impact for decades, yet it is still often considered a “male” problem within the Church. This can leave women who struggle with porn addiction feeling isolated and alone. The organization SheRecovery (formerly Dirty Girls Ministries) aims to change that and has become a resource for women with porn addiction. You can read more about their ministry at the link in our bio. ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: Lisa Gagnon in "Dirty Girls Ministries" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"The presence of my sin reminds me of my great nee "The presence of my sin reminds me of my great need for grace, and good works are the outpouring of a grateful heart; being a good child is not a means of earning the favor of God."⁠
⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: Sally Blotzer in "Forgiving Failure" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"As Christians, we identify ourselves not only by "As Christians, we identify ourselves not only by how we handle our daily lives, much like those around us, but also by an added component: our faith. How we pray and worship and spend time with our fellow followers provides additional meaning to our lives."⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: Matthew Hamilton in "Does Your Form Determine Your Function?" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Lum3n from Pexels⁠
Often I picture Jesus telling us to love others an Often I picture Jesus telling us to love others and not to judge. I forget that when he said, “Come follow me,” he wasn’t just inviting us to a strict set of rules but to a real and exciting life whether you turn out to be a pastor, a doctor, designer or simply “Dad.” Sometimes I forget one of his main messages was that he came to give us a better life than we could ever dream of—life to the fullest. Jesus wasn’t locking us down to a vocation or job title. It’s as if he was saying, “Real, vibrant life is available to you now. Following me, loving me and living like me is your real calling…the rest is just there to aid you in following, loving and living.”⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: Wendy Van Eyck in "Living For A Purpose" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
Like Morpheus, I want to “show you how deep the Like Morpheus, I want to “show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” There is yet another parallel between the Christian story and The Matrix, simultaneously the most foundational and the most captivating. It’s that something which is missing, something which is not quite right with the world. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know that it’s there. At the outset of the first film, Neo is searching for it. Trinity asserts that “it’s the question that drives us.” Morpheus claims that “you can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes.” The question is: What if I’ve only ever scratched the surface of all that life has to offer? What if there is a deeper, truer current of reality, ever-present behind all of my life’s experiences, to which I might awaken at any moment?⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: @slimkeman in "Tumbling Down The Rabbit Hole" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"I’ve always been intrigued by Augustine because "I’ve always been intrigued by Augustine because we all struggle with temptations to sin. And we all struggle to live in a way that honors God. Like Augustine we all feel the tug of our past sins that say, 'Don’t you want to enjoy us?' And Augustine’s story relates to Galatians 5:16-26 where Paul tells us about how the Christian life is like a walk. In a way, walking is a metaphor for the Christian life." ⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: @the_christopherscott in "In Step With the Spirit" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
"The Holy Spirit empowers us for Christ-like livin "The Holy Spirit empowers us for Christ-like living, and for serving others." Where in your life or in what ways has the Spirit enabled you this week? We'd love to hear, tell us in the comments below!⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
✍🏽: @the_christopherscott  in "In Step With the Spirit" | Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
Follow on Instagram

Subscribe

More Articles

IN PURSUIT OF INTIMACY: CORPORATE WORSHIP

Prior to having children, I had not considered that participating in a faith community could be an act of spiritual discipline. I have learned over the past three … [Read More...]

THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS

When a person becomes a Christian, they are told about the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit”; God the father and Jesus Christ … [Read More...]

WHAT IS THE GAZA STRIP?

A recent BBC report partially attributes the December 2008 rocket attack by Hamas to a blockade set by Israeli forces in Gaza. The blockade was established nineteen … [Read More...]

Copyright © 2025 New Identity Magazine. All Rights Reserved · Log in