THE GREAT PIG OUT

Be careful not to spend your time feasting, - Luke 21:34a (NCV)

      They call themselves the Graveyard Gang. A bunch of hooligans that are never up to any good. In fact, they make Harold look good. Thankfully there are only four of them, Butch, Bud, Chuck and Joel. On the Fourth of July they were up to no good again and unknown to the group, Harold, was in a tree above them and could see and hear everything they were up to.

     It was the loud sound of "Psst" Bud made as he called out to see if Butch was around that caught Harold's attention. "Yeah, I'm here." Butch answered as he stood up from his hiding spot in a bush a little ways away. "Did you find a spot for the Pig Out?" Bud asked him as he crept over.

     "No" Butch told him, "That was Chuck’s job. You gave me the job of stealing, I mean finding all the food." Well," Bud humphed, "Have you stolen, I mean found enough food for us yet?" "Maybe for me." Butch laughed, "I'm still working on the rest." "Well just remember its a pig out." Bud growled.

     As Harold sat in the tree listening he began to wonder if he should show up - well until he heard some one below him say "We eat until we puke, just like last year, just like old Chuck did with those hotdogs." "I don't want to eat that much Harold thought to himself. as he saw Chuck slither up behind Bud.

     "Did you find a spot yet?" Bud shouted as he turned and pushed Chuck on the ground. "And don't sneak up on me." "Spots?" Chuck snorted, "Yeah, I've found lots of spots but none will work, not even last years spot in the grave yard. The police are watching everything." What Harold heard next got pretty gross, even for him.

     "Are you going to try top 36 dogs this year?" Butch asked Chuck. "You eat." Chuck replied, "I'm doing something different." "Can't" Butch said, "I’m trying for 2 gallons of ice cream and brain freeze." "You don’t have a brain." Bud butted in, "You fried it out last year." "Oh, yeah!!" Chuck said with a grin.

     "I'm going for 100 meatballs covered in chocolate sauce." Butch told the gang. "Well, I've got some flame thrower salsa and two gallons of Mountain Dew." Bud spoke up, "That should give me a burp that will register on the Richter scale." As they continued to talk about tubs full of candy and stomachaches and chili beans and tooting and other gross stuff to gross to repeat, Joel came running up to the group "RUN!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "The Police Are Coming!" and just like that the graveyard gang took off and Harold decided to climb a little higher up the tree.

     There is a scene from a Monty python film where there is a man over indulging himself with food to the disgust of the waiter. As the gentlemen eats he gets fatter and fatter to the point where he is absolutely full and he cannot eat anymore. His body looks like it will explode at any minute! Then the waiter encourages him to eat one more item, a wafer thin after eight mint, he refuses at first but then he is encouraged too indulge one more time... then upon eating the wafer thin mint he bodily explodes in the restaurant. That is a comical take on gluttony but it is an epidemic problem.

     Another illustration related to gluttony titled, "You Know You Overdid Thanksgiving When...." makes light of over eating for you know you overate when

• Paramedics bring in the Jaws of Life to pry you out of the EZ-Boy.
• The "Gravy Boat" your wife set out was a real 12’ boat!
• You receive a Sumo Wrestler application in your e-mail.
• Friday you set off 3 earthquake seismographs on your morning jog.
• Pricking your finger for cholesterol screening only yielded gravy.
• That rash on your stomach turns out to be steering wheel burn.
• Representatives from the Butterball Hall of Fame called twice.
• You consider gluttony your patriotic duty.

     Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste. St. Thomas Aquinas list six ways to commit gluttony:

• Eating too soon.
• Eating too expensively
• Eating too much.
• Eating too eagerly
• Eating too daintily
• Eating wildly

     Gluttony as a form of greed is just one more of the seven deadly sins that is quite dangerous. When you read through the scriptures you find gluttony taking various forms such as drunkenness, feasting, partying, etc. Here's some of what the Bible has to say.

• Gluttony Is The Way Of The Godless - 1 Peter 4:3 - You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. (NLT)
• Gluttony Leads To Poverty - Proverbs 23:19-21 - Listen, my child, be wise and give serious thought to the way you live. Don't associate with people who drink too much wine or stuff themselves with food. Drunkards and gluttons will be reduced to poverty. If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags.(TEV)
• Gluttony Keeps One From Being Prepared
  • Luke 12:45-47 - "But if the man begins to think, `My Lord won't be back for a long time,' and begins to whip the men and women he is supposed to protect, and to spend his time at drinking parties and in drunkenness-- well, his master will return without notice and remove him from his position of trust and assign him to the place of the unfaithful. He will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty he refused to do it. (TLB)
  • Luke 21:34-35 - “Be careful not to spend your time feasting, drinking, or worrying about worldly things. If you do, that day might come on you suddenly, like a trap on all people on earth. (NCV)
• Gluttony Brings Humiliation - Proverbs 28:7 - He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father. (NAS)
• Gluttony Ends In Eternal Loss - Philippians 3:18-19 - For I have told you often before, and I say it again now with tears in my eyes, there are many who walk along the Christian road who are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Their future is eternal loss, for their god is their appetite: they are proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all they think about is this life here on earth. (TLB)

     With those dangerous in mind keep these word of advice in mind as well

• Proverbs 23:1-3 - If you sit down to eat with a ruler, notice the food that is in front of you. Control yourself if you have a big appetite. Don’t be greedy for his fine foods, because that food might be a trick. (NCV)
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (NIV)

     Here's Something to Ponder

• Are you given to over indulging yourself
• Are you able to say "That's enough." and than stop