Food. We all love to eat. The yummier, the creamier, the sweeter, the more flavorful....the better. We are a nation consumed by consuming.....junk. The question is, is what I put in my mouth affecting my spirit?
We know from scripture that what we eat is not a salvation issue. Plain and simple. Food does not sanctify or un-sanctify me. So, is what I eat important? What is the purpose of food in my life? 1 Corinthians 6:13 says, "Food is for the stomach.." The purpose of food is to nourish our bodies. What is the purpose of our body? Isaiah 43:7~"Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory," We were created for God's glory. Romans 12:1 says that we are to present our bodies "a living and holy sacrifice". 1 Corinthians 6:13 says the body is "for the Lord."
Contrast what scripture says the purpose of food is...for our stomach...to the way we use food~for pleasure, for indulgence, for cravings, for addictions, for an emotional crutch, for satisfying the flesh.
Contrast what scripture says the purpose of the body is to the way we treat the body~filling it with things God did not intend as food to nourish our bodies, but for our pleasure that in the end leads to suffering. Whether we know , admit it, or accept it, what we eat affects our bodies, and, in turn, affects our ability to glorify God with our bodies. We are a nation crippled by chronic fatigue, arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and many other diseases. Many of these are directly caused by the processed sugars and other foods that we put into our bodies. I was recently told by a health care practitioner that the underlying cause of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia is yeast....sugar. Not every disease is caused directly by food, but even then, these foods weaken our immune systems so that our bodies cannot fight, and they make the disease worse and progress faster. If consuming higher amounts of sugar, fast food, processed breads and pastas, soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, etc. has not caught up with you yet, it more than likely will. (We were all young, healthy, and invincible once!)
The question becomes, can I glorify God with my body if I am plagued with a disease that is the result of my own lust? Can I serve in the capacity that God intended for me if I can't function because I do not treat my body in a glorifying way? HEAR ME! Not all sickness is a result of poor choices or sin. As long as we have breath, we can glorify God!!! I do believe that God is more glorified when we are treating our bodies as His temple, and seeking to honor Him with it. If someone is doing drugs, is an alcoholic, is mutilating themselves in some obvious way, we are quick to point out that they are not treating their bodies well and this is wrong. But, we don't want to acknowledge that the food we eat is destroying our bodies, whether we see it at the moment or not. God can use us wherever we are, but how much more could He use us if we were dying to self in the area of consuming foods that destroy our bodies?
Another question we must ask ourselves is, why am I eating what I am? Is it for the stomach, or are we enticed, with no self control. I don't think it's harmful to have that occasional splurge, but are we controlled by our lusts for unhealthy foods? Are they the staple of our diets? 1 Corinthians 6:12, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything."
Several years ago, I was faced with giving up soft drinks for my health...or them at least becoming a rare occasion.... and I was not willing at that moment. I was actually a little hostile about it. The next day God made His position clear in Proverbs 12:1, "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." He shot that flaming arrow right into me, and I knew exactly what He was talking about and why.
This is not a post about judging people about their food choices. It's what God has shown me over the years, especially this last one. We are a society that lets our food master us. We shun the whole foods that God made for us, and we lust after those that destroy us. It's not a salvation issue, and it's one that each person must reconcile with God only. Are the foods I eat keeping my body healthy, pure, holy, and ready for service?
One last question. If we are constantly giving in to the enticement of these unhealthy foods, because we have no self control, has this become sin for us? "But the fruit of the spirit is....self control.."
