Don’t Overindulge!

“He restores my soul. . .”

Psalm 23:3a, NKJV

Reading just the first two verses of Psalm 23 reveals a good God who promises to shepherd you personally towards contentment and rest amidst an environment that is dangerous and uncertain. The Psalmist emphasizes that this abundance includes the physical, but also surpasses it, by saying that this shepherd “restores my soul” (23:3). Dallas Willard goes so far to paraphrase the Psalmist as saying, “He heals and reintegrates my broken depths in his eternal life.” God’s restoration work is neither superficial nor temporary—a fact that has incredible implications for this life and the next.

That lonely tree, Wanaka, New Zealand

We should be cautious of prosperity-gospel promises of financial abundance and illness-free living, especially since Jesus’ call to follow him directly challenges any kind of hoarding mentality. In Matthew 16, for example, Jesus reminds his disciples the radical nature of following him, asking the rhetorical question, “What good is it for someone to gain the world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). It’s reminiscent of Jesus’ parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12 where Jesus confronts the idea of selfishly hoarding riches to bless oneself instead of being rich towards God (Luke 12:13-21). In Psalm 23, Matthew 16 and Luke 12, we have the Good Shepherd deeply concerned about the state of our souls and alluding to the fact that overabundance can be a barrier to true contentment and health.

Author Margaret Feinberg once interviewed an expert shepherd, Lynne, who said this about dangers to sheep: “[P]robably the greatest threat is too much good food. Sheep often kill themselves by upsetting the delicate balance of their rumen by eating too much grain or rich new green grass. Once the balance of their rumen is upset, they will die within a few days if left untreated” (Scouting the Divine, p. 53). Physical death results from overeating. Spiritual death comes to those who overindulge when they should be sharing.

God promises to be a good shepherd who leads you to rest after he fills your bellies with food and drink (23:2), but his intention is also to steer you away from soul-killing overindulgence. It’s true that too much of a good thing can kill you; God’s restoration project involves trusting him to lead us toward a healthy rhythm of harvesting, feasting, fasting and sharing. One aspect of God restoring our souls is to make sure we don’t overindulge during seasons of abundance, losing sight of the needs of others and resulting in damage to the health of our souls.

Something to Think About:

Dallas Willard prayed his own paraphrase of Psalm 23 every day. My friends at Soul Shepherding have compiled it here:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have life without lack.

In his green pastures I’ve eaten my fill so I lie down.
At his still waters my thirst is satisfied.

He heals and reintegrates my broken depths in his eternal life

so I can walk in paths of righteousness on his behalf.
Even though I go through loss, hunger, disease, aging, and death I will fear no evil because you Jesus are with me.
Your strong rod and protective staff put me at liberty.

Your abundant provision is a feast for me so I’m happy to share with my enemies.
You give me hot showers and warm fluffy towels, joyful experiences and deep relationships, to make me feel clean, special, and powerful.
My cup runs over so I can be generous without ever running out.

Surely this world is a perfectly safe place for me to be
Because I dwell and abide with God in the fullness of his life in the Kingdom of the Heavens forever.

Something to Do:

Slowly pray through Willard’s version of Psalm 23, inviting the restorative power of the Good Shepherd into an area of need. Invite God to prompt you to share your abundance with someone specific. Look for ways that overindulgence has damaged your soul.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for your unending commitment to restoring my life! During seasons of apparent abundance or lack, help me not forget that there are others to bless. Redirect me from thinking that my problems would be fixed if I could only consume some good thing I keep longing for: money, power, pleasure, control. Restore my soul as I follow you down the path of feasting, resting and sharing. You know me better than I know myself, so I commit today to trusting you to fix the broken places in my work, my life and my ministry. Amen.

Explore more at The High Calling archive, hosted by the Theology of Work Project:
Smell Like Sheep?