Eating Airplanes

Date:

What’s the strangest thing you ever remember eating? My youngest daughter, at age two, tried to eat a worm, and my husband once ate chocolate-covered crickets; but neither of those comes close to what Michel Lotito devoured! According to funfactz.com, between 1959 and 1997, Michel ate almost 9 tons of inedible and dangerous junk. Among other things, he consumed eleven bicycles, seven shopping carts, a metal coffin, a cash register, a washing machine, a TV, and 66 feet of chain. Then he decided to tackle a big-ticket item; he ate an entire airplane – an old Cessna – which took him 2 years to consume. Michel died in 2007 at the age of 57, the official cause of death being a heart attack. I don’t know – 57 is incredibly young – could he perhaps have been consuming “junk food” that, in the end, took him out?!

If you are living on this planet, you have no doubt heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” It actually dates back to 1826 when Antheime Brillat-Savarin wrote: “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” It’s true, so it stuck! Our physical health depends on good nutrition! If we eat lousy food, then down the road we will pay the price. I mean, who wants to be a walking “candy bar” or an “airplane?” A body can’t function at its best on a diet of junk food, and this exact same principle holds true for our spiritual health and hardiness as well.

Let’s face it – garbage in, garbage out. Just as there’s junk “food” in abundance, there’s junk news, junk gossip, junk TV, and junk tabloids. What are we intentionally putting into ourselves? The Bible reminds us in Matthew 12:34 that “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say,” and whatever you put into your heart eventually determines what you think, and do. As someone once observed: “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Your words become actions; your actions become habits; your habits become character, and your character becomes your destiny.”

Albert Einstein said he wanted to know God’s thoughts. I do too – that’s why I read God’s book – a bestseller, by the way! The Bible teaches us in Psalm 111:10 that “The fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who follow His precepts have good understanding.” If we feed on the “bread of life” we will end up spiritually strong and healthy. Where do we get this “bread of life?” Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

Many of you will remember the 2004 movie, “Super Size Me,” featuring Morgan Spurlock. In it, he chronicled a radical experiment on himself that few would be tempted to follow. For an entire month, he ate all his meals at McDonalds. Three times a day he pulled up to the Golden Arches and ordered breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At months end, Morgan had gained thirty pounds, his cholesterol was off the charts, and his own doctor warned him to immediately change his eating habits if he intended to continue living on this earth. Experiment over! The good news with all this is that we can choose our influencers! Proverbs 4:23 urges us to “Guard our heart above all else, for it determines the course of our life.” One translation actually advises us to to “Guard our heart more than any treasure.” That’s how important it is.

I once heard of a man who borrowed a book from a friend, hoping it would prove to be a life-changing read. When the book was finally returned, the friend found the letters YBH written many times in the margins. Curious, he asked the borrower what YBH meant? His friend replied that the book was indeed terrific and could have possibly been life-changing, except for one thing, it lacked the “how to’s” — thus the YBH — “Yes, But How” abbreviation. The YBH for people seeking spiritual growth and success is remarkably easy – we need to learn to listen to and discern the Spirit of God.

Don’t go looking on “junk media” for God. As Edmond Mbiaka puzzled: “I wonder why some people find it difficult to follow God. Perhaps, they are waiting for Him to join a social network before they could start to follow Him.” It’s really pretty easy though, in a nutshell, the word of God is the will of God. So, please choose your “food” wisely!

—-

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can contact them at DPCityChurch.org

Susan Beckett • Dwelling Place City Church

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe to The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

Popular

More like this
Related

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to announce run for California governor

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is to officially declare...

Lake Elsinore Sponsors Community Cleanup Event: Bulky Items Accepted

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A community clean-up event was...

San Bernardino International Airport Offering More Flights To Provo

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — Residents looking for a quick...

7 Reasons Even the Wealthy May Outlive Their Savings

High-net-worth individuals, those with $1 million or more in...