Bacon &Self-Discipline

Bacon-Flavored!

My wife and I sometimes go out for a breakfast these days.  I'm often only good for half of an Omelet, but we quite often debate whether or not to get an order of bacon with the eggs; an interesting debate considering the fact that we are both trying to watch our weight (me especially) and SLICE of bacon has 110 calories (4 slices to an order).

I came across an interesting item a day or so ago.  They’re pushing for a special new product to sell big during the holiday season, so they’ve packaged it accordingly in one tidy little bacon-centered gift bag.

For about $10 a pop, you get two bottles of bacon-flavored soda, one bag of Cheddar “BaconPop” popcorn, one tube of bacon lip balm and a packet of brand-new bacon-flavored country gravy.  And 2 bottles of Jones Bacon-Flavored Soda - Yummy!

What an indulgent culture we live in! I can see the gravy surely. The popcorn, perhaps. Lip balm - not so much. But Soda? Oi! You gotta really, REALLY like bacon!

But this is modern culture isn’t it? We indulge ourselves. If it isn’t available naturally, to satisfy our cravings, we’ll make it. And that’s OK!, because, after all, it’s just natural right? It’s not hurting anyone?

We never realize until far down the line, almost too far many times (too far for many folks) that they indulgence is so very debilitating. Discipline and self-denial is far more beneficial to the body and to the spirit than indulgence can ever be (Believe me, I know from the really, really bad end of experience - as many of you used to know I used weight well up into the 500's pound-wise) and can take an immense amount of time to recover from (again, IF it can ever BE fully recovered from).

This is why Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 9:27:

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Both of the terms “discipline” and “disqualify” are from the arena and are fighting terms. Discipline is from a term literally meaning to “hit under the eye”. Paul “punched out” his bodily impulses to prevent them from keeping him away his mission of winning souls to Christ. In light of all that was going in Corinth, that was quite a statement (he would have been moved, for instance, to a good bit of irritation, frustration, etc.)

“Disqualified” is another metaphor from the athletic games. MacArthur notes:

“A contestant who failed to meet basic training requirements could not participate at all, much less have an opportunity to win. Paul may be especially referring to such fleshly sins that disqualify a man from preaching and leading the church, particularly being blameless and above reproach in the sexual area, since such sin is a disqualification” [John Jr., MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville: Word Pub., 1997). 1 Co 9:27.].

Indulgence thus is in direct contrast to that which facilitates use by God as it is displeasing to Him. We are here to serve Him and not ourselves. Let’s be sure that we are going about doing just that, I suspect that it involves other than Bacon-flavored soda!