Can't Outrun Your Fork

I’ve been learning a lot about food, weight loss, exercise, and dieting lately.  And it has become apparent that weight loss does not come from exercise.  Weight loss comes from what you put in your body.  They say calories in calories out.  That's the formula.  That’s how it works. It's that simple.  Of course there are mitigating factors that are involved that can and will contribute to what calories in calories out mean like metabolism, hormonal level, water retention, sodium intake, but all in all what it comes down to is calories in calories out.  Even these fad diets that people get on are based on this principle all be it is presented in different clothes.  In the end the saying goes you cannot outrun your fork (pun intended).  

Still many people disagree with this.  They don’t believe the truth.  Even after people have practiced this scientific principle.  A man ate only junk food like donuts, chips, and candy for 30 days and lost 10 lbs and lowered his colesterol.  Another man ate only McDonald's three meals a day for 100 days and lost 58 lbs.  This is the way it works whether you believe it or not.  

But because people do not believe the truth they do things based on their own understanding of how weight loss works.  I was stuck in this mindset.  I thought just walking more, going to the gym, or taking the stairs would achieve the goal I wanted.  You’ve heard people say “I go to the gym so I can eat that extra cheesecake,”  It don’t work like that.  

Now don’t get me wrong.  There are tons of benefits to taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or getting your steps in. These things aid in cardiovascular health, mobility, and decrease stress and anxiety in daily life.  They are good things.  They are just not effective weight loss mechanisms.  

Why am I saying all this?  This is a Christian blog not a fitness blog.  Glad you asked!  This is essentially the way people view Christianity or the afterlife.  We believe that our works will give us a relationship with God.  We think we can be a good person and bring good to the world and God will allow us to have a peaceful eternity.  Sorry, it doesn’t work like that.  Again, don’t get me wrong.  Just like exercise has benefits and is a good thing to do, it just doesn’t achieve weight loss.  Good deeds are beneficial to the world and increase moral in society but in the end they just will not bring you a relationship with God.  You still will be doomed to a Godless eternity.  

What will save us? Well technically the question should be who will save us.  That person is Jesus.  Calories in Calories out is the formula for weight loss, faith in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah is the formula for salvation.  Jesus says at one point when talking to his disciples about this very thing. They asked how they would know how to get where he was going (that is to dwell with him [Jesus] for all eternity and he replied, “I am the way.”

So let me ask the question, “Have you given up on saving yourself and finally trusted in Jesus’ finished work on the cross?” If you are still trying to rely on your works by loving people, helping others, giving time and money to charities, or just being a generally good person, it won’t work.  These things are good and increase the good in the world which is great! But it won’t save you from the ultimate judgment that comes at death or when Jesus arrives back on this planet.  And that is the most important thing there is.  That is to be in right standing before God.