What’s driving you?

For many people on this planet, life is driven by their appetites.

The problem with that is, when we allow our lives to be driven by our appetites we will always face negative consequences from doing so; consequences that, at best, can be difficult to overcome, or may ultimately wreck us.

Douglas Twitchell tells how his physical appetite for food that was bad for him had gotten the better of him:

A couple years ago I had my cholesterol level checked, and my doctor told me, “Your cholesterol level is way too high.” We talked about what I was going to do about it, and I told him I wasn’t interested in taking any medications to lower my cholesterol. I wanted to do the “all natural” approach, even though I knew it would be much harder.

So I changed my habits. I changed the amount of exercise I do, and made significant changes in my diet. Now I eat far less fast food, far less fatty foods than I used to. And the good news is that, in the last two years, my cholesterol has dropped 27 points. I still have a little way to go, but that’s definite progress.

Changing my diet has really changed the way that I “taste” food. I used to love really greasy foods. Now, however, after being careful to avoid greasy foods, my appetite has changed. If I have a pepperoni pizza, I find myself thinking “Wow! This tastes really greasy!” It’s not that pizzas are any more greasy now than they were two years ago; it’s just that my appetites have changed because of the kinds of foods I put into my system.

Twitchell was fortunate enough to get serious about making a change in his appetite before it seriously harmed him.

The problem with allowing our lives to be driven by our appetites is doing so usually leaves no room for spiritual values.

That was the case with Esau, brother to Jacob and the son of Isaac and Rebekah. You may remember the popular Bible story about Esau coming in from a hunting outing and was so exhausted he traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a bowl of stew:

“As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, ‘I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!’ (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means ‘red.’) ‘All right,’ Jacob replied, ‘but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.’ ‘Look, I’m dying of starvation!’ said Esau. ‘What good is my birthright to me now?’ But Jacob said, ‘First you must swear that your birthright is mine.’ So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn,” Genesis 25:27-34.

Foolish decisions and great loss are often the result of allowing our appetites to drive our lives. In fact, many elevate their appetites in this life to be their god, the thing that they value most, to their detriment:

“Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth,” Philippians 3:17-19.

A tragic illustration of our appetites wrecking our lives is found in a story I shared once before, but it’s very fitting here:

In the book, The Three Edwards, Thomas Costain described the life of Raynald III, a 14th century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means “fat.”

After a violent quarrel, Raynald’s younger brother, Edward, led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald but did not kill him. Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room.

This would not have been difficult for most people since the room had several windows and a door of near-normal size, and none was locked or barred. The problem was Raynald’s size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter.

When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.” Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year … a prisoner of his own appetite

Our appetites are a danger to us because they often lead us away from God rather than to Him, and they usually don’t foster what’s good for us. So Jesus redirected us in what should drive the lives of all who are His disciples:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need,” Matthew 6:33.

What’s driving you? What’s your greatest appetite for?

Scotty