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Over-indulgence and America go together like, well, America and apple pie-eating contests!

We do not seem to be able to find proper balance, do we?  I suspect the "all or nothing" mentality is at least partly responsible for what we are currently seeing in the political race for the White House.  We like fast cars, big trucks, and loud-mouthed braggarts.  If an 8 ounce steak is good, a 16 ounce is always better.  One scoop or two?  Is that a real question anymore?

We Americans over-indulge in so many ways and our economy loves it and feeds it.

• Four hours of video games a day?  Over-indulgence.
• Seventy hours at the office each week?  Over-indulgence.
• Fifteen minutes of porn on your lunch break?  Over-indulgence.
• A few beers every single night to "calm down?"  Over-indulgence.
• Thousands of dollars on hobbies and vacations?  Over-indulgence.
• Two hours or more on Facebook each day?  Over-indulgence.
• Vegging out in front of the TV for the last three hours of every day?  Over-indulgence.

And the list goes on seemingly indefinitely!  We are so out of whack.  In dire need of simplicity.  We've forgotten that sometimes less is more, but at other times more is not enough.  The Lord's wisdom comes crashing into our over-indulged, over-worked, over-stressed world:

Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them with rags (Proverbs 23:20-21).  

Turns out, all this over-indulgence leaves us empty in the end.  But Jesus gives us the corrective:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matt 5:6).

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [basic life necessities] will be added to you (Matt 6:33).

Oh Lord, help us over-indulge in You and You only.  Give us a hunger for You that outstrips our appetites for all other people, places, and things.  Forgive us for filling our lives with cotton candy.  Forgive us for being drunk and gluttonous on so many temporal things.  Restore to us the balance we desperately need.  Tip our scales in favor of righteousness, time in Your Word, prayer, service, discipleship and worship.  Amen.  

 

by Keith McWhorter