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Have I told you I follow a nutritional keto lifestyle? I work at following a high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate diet. But I’m not real precise at it. I don’t count what is called macros and I drink w-a-a-a-y too much coffee! I suppose you’d call my actual eating plan a “lazy keto” plan.
But, I have to tell you, since I’ve given up sugar in its purest form, I feel so much better. I used to have a lot of inflammation in my body and ached most of the time. I started eating low carbs to lose weight but as I began focusing on reducing carbs, I started listening to people talking about the keto plan. At first I wasn’t quite sold on it but then I started following a few people on you-tube that adhere to it and also help to educate the public about it, and I found I wanted to figure out how this nutritional plan could work for me. And what I found for me, after getting on board with this plan, was the inflammation has mostly gone away. It’s just gone!
I do try to limit carbohydrate intake to 20-25 a day but since I don’t count them religiously I’m sure I probably go over that count quite often. I find my taste buds are more sensitive and food flavors are more intense. I don’t crave sweets anymore yet I have found some sugar substitutes that help in baking and sometimes when I want a “treat”.
And I get really excited when I calculate foods with carbohydrates that have lots of fiber. Why? Backing out the fiber from the carbs reduces the “net” carbohydrate count! Sometimes to zero. Zero Net Carbs.
And as I was thinking about this today, it came to me the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for me has produced a clean slate. His sacrifice minus my sin equals forgiveness and eternal life. It’s Zero net sin! Yet just like when I go over my carb count, I know I will slip and yet I also know He has already forgiven that, too.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
But let me explain that further. Because we shouldn’t take that lightly and instead strive to stay in the Word, growing closer to Him, repenting and getting back on track whenever we fall. For when we grow closer to Him, the “inflammation” caused by our sin and the often-times self-inflicted strife of daily life is replaced by His grace. Because you see, I slip. I make mistakes. I fall back into sin. Yet He has given me His grace. And that grace has given me not the freedom to sin but the freedom to get back on track whenever I fall.
Taste and see that the LORD is good…
And so, just as my taste buds have woken up since giving up sugar and I find that wanting sweets has diminished, and as that lure for excessive snacking creates a danger when using alternative sweeteners too much, I must restrict myself from excess. Because, I am no longer reliant on sugar.
It’s the same with sin. Just because God has given me his grace doesn’t mean I can take advantage of that. Sin is alluring. But, sin is not my master.
And so my friends, Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
For, Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
For, those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. And this is my hope for you. May you Grow in His Grace and lack no good thing.
