Day 11a

I have wasted a lot of time and money in the past thinking about food, diets, running, scales, etc.  I have had to repent to the Lord about not using the things He has given wisely.  I was just thinking what it would look like if I took the money that I normally spend on fast food, gyms, scales, etc. and using it to serve others.  That is what counts for eternity.  Though I have wasted a lot of time and money, God still shows his mercy and grace.  Joel 2:25 says, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten".  I have wasted a lot but God in His grace can, in a way, give me back those years.  I want to use those "grace years" serving Him and serving others.  I think I need to give up fast food.  It has become an idol as well.  I would be so embarrassed to know how much I have spent on soft drinks, hamburgers, etc at the drive through window.  I am actually going to be taking more cases at work to help pay back some of the money I have wasted.  No one in my family is making me do this.  I just feel that it is right.  I feel like I need to have that discipline.  The good thing is that even though I am working to pay back bad mistakes, I don't have to work to earn God's favor and love.  It is unconditional love that is not dependent on me.  It is all based on the work of Jesus on the cross, taking my sin, nailing it to the cross, and rising from the dead to defeat sin and death.  Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord".  Still no scales.  I don't have that strong desire to weigh right now like I did at the beach.  God, help me to continue on this journey of freedom.  It just thundered so loud outside.  God is so powerful.  The same God that controls the sky, lightning, rain, wind with just a word is the same God who loves me and gives me new mercy every morning.  YAY!!! 
Fran