Birthdays, holidays and special occasions give cause to indulge
in all that yummy stuff and what a delight--if it were not for
the fallout of extra pounds. It seems that every season clothes
you put in storage manage to shrink while in rest mode.
Just try on one or two outfits and you get the feeling that
clothes-shrinking gremlins has been wearing them while in storage.
That must be it. They were in a dry place, not exposed to the sun
and hung or folded neatly awaiting the next season's excavation.
You are not quite brave enough to step on the bathroom scales,
but surely that couldn't be the problem--could it?
Well, maybe, maybe?

Sometimes we find that our clothes fit a little too snugly, and we
don't like what we see in the mirror and we loathe what the scales
tell us. We make a resolution to push the plate away a little sooner,
skip dessert, exercise and try to fit back into last year's outfits.
Not an easy assignment that we give ourselves, but we know if
we don't take control things will only get worse -- and bigger.

Our physical health is important and we should pay attention
to maintaining a healthily lifestyle. Even in our "out-of-shape"
condition, we probably pay more attention to our physical appearance
and health than we do our spiritual health. It is important that we
watch our weight, adhere to healthily habits, but it is of far more
value to maintain our spiritual life in accordance with God's
Plan Book. Ideally, we will do both.
With these thoughts in mind, let us consider which diet
 plan we should follow.

God's Ideal Diet Plan

It was a place of perfection, a paradise. Everything the
 heart could desire was provided. Friendship with Love Himself
 graced each evening after the minimal tasks were done. The perfection of the place required that  the caretakers only "dress"
 the garden and just enjoy its benefits.
The potential was limitless.

Why would anyone want to change such an environment?
Wasn't it the ultimate in what everyone seeks in life?
The scenario was tranquility, security, surrounded by
indescribable beauty and even peaceful relations with
all other creatures. Apparently, the package even included
pain-free childbirth, judging from Genesis 3:16 "
...In pain you shall bring forth children..." This was spoken to Eve after she chose the wrong diet plan and indicated a change
from the way God  originally planned it. It is not wise to try
 to improve God's plan.

As part of their integral makeup, the caretakers of the paradise
known as "The Garden of Eden" were given freewill.
Adam and Eve could choose to continue their intimate
relationship with their Father and enjoy the splendor
He had provided for them, or they could choose to listen
to the nearly believable lies of God's enemy, Satan.
Unfortunately, they made the wrong dietary choice.
God had warned them what would happen if they didn't follow
His diet plan; they would die. (Genesis 3:3). Satan told them
God had lied to them, and they would not die. He led them
to believe that God was holding out on them and he prescribed
a different diet plan which, if followed, would make them as God
Himself. Incredibly, they believed the lie.

The result of Adam and Eve's choice was "arteriosclerosis" and
stopped the flow of eternal life for them. They could have
stuck with God's diet plan and lived forever in their state
of innocence dieting on the Tree of Life, instead they went
on Satan's "artery-clogging high cholesterol" diet resulting
in heart attacks--they died just as God said they would.
Their innocence dissolved the moment they left God's menu
and the intimate relationship with Him ended. They even
tried to hide when God came for their daily date in the
cool of the day. Spiritual death resulted.

God could have just buried them and let them face the penalty
of disobedience, living in a state of death with their deceiver
forever, and started over with new creations; but He loved
them too much to do that. He already had a plan to rescue
them from their own failure and He set it in motion.
Though they were expelled from their beautiful paradise,
God made provisions that would bring full restoration.
Their enemy would be destroyed; they would be redeemed
and Eden Eternal awaited them. Though they died from the
sin, they were resurrected to new life. Jesus said, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he
may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me
shall never die...: (John 11:25 NKJV).

HOPE!!
RESURRECTION!!
FORGIVENESS!!
LOVE!!
RESTORATION!!

God didn't just scrub out the "plugged arteries" or put in a "stent."
He didn't even do heart surgery; He completely replaced the
 arterial system so that new life could flow and bring sinless
eternal life into the system. He didn't just patch up the flawed
 man and woman; He created them anew with the ability to have
His life transfused into them, preparing them to live with Him
in Eden Eternal. What Satan meant for destruction,
God used for construction of a "new man." "Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
 have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
(2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).

ALL THINGS NEW!

How was that possible? How could God just overlook blatant disobedience of listening to and following the suggestion of
His avowed enemy?
The truth is He didn't overlook their sin. He could never do that.
He is just and had to issue the penalty for breaking His law. The
thing that was in Adam and Eve's favor (and all of their posterity,
including us) was the incomprehensible, unconditional Love God
had for His creation.

The divine plan was executed at Calvary. God's pronouncement to
them recorded in Genesis 3:15 let them look ahead in preview how
God planned to redeem the original sinners and every other one that
would live in the future. "And I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your seed and her Seed, He shall bruise your
head, and you shall bruise His heel." Man's "wound" from Satan
wasn't the fatal blow that Satan expected and intended; it just caused
God to pull up Plan A (He has no Plan B!) and redemption resulted.
The blow to Satan's head at Calvary was eternally fatal to him.
It was just a "heel" wound for Jesus.

The penalty God had pronounced on Adam and Eve extended to
all who would subsequently be disobedient. "...through one man sin
entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all
men, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12 NKJV). So the plan of
redemption was all-inclusive as well. "For if by one man's offense
death reigned through the one, much more those who receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in
life through the One, Jesus Christ...even so through one Man's
righteous act the free gift came to all men..." (Romans 5:17, 18 NKJV).
Trying to work our way into salvation is like riding a stationary bike.
It burns a lot of energy and tires you out, but you can't go anywhere.
You're no farther away from the starting point nor closer to your
intended destination than when you began pedaling.

The "righteous act" of Jesus cured man's condition caused by his wrong diet plan and forever defeated Satan and thwarted his
 plan to destroy God's creation. God accepted the expiatory act
of Jesus at Calvary where He paid the penalty for every man's
 sin from Adam to eternity.
God doesn't overlook our sin; it's just that Jesus carried our
sin with Him to Calvary, admitting to and taking our guilt, leaving
us innocent.
That is what God sees when He looks at us--pure innocence
of Jesus who has paid for all sin for all time.

We have to shop around to find the right plan for our physical
shape up. One plan doesn't fit all. When we decide to get rid
of our flab, tone up our muscles and hone our nutritional skills,
we have to take many factors into consideration that will
benefit our individual needs.
That is not the case in our spiritual lives. One diet plan will
answer the needs of every person. The children of Israel in the
wilderness had manna when they had no other source and it was
sufficient. It was a "type" pointing to the real manna which would
be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. "As the living Father sent Me, and I
live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because
of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your
fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread
will live forever." (John 6:57-58 NKJV).

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good..." (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)

Jesus is totally sufficient -- H A L L E L U J A H ! ! !


Delores Adams
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