Food... Overeating... Anorexia
"Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven…" (Philippians 3:17-20 RSV)
In our day, food is more than just nourishment. Sadly, it has become a source of comfort and excess. How often do you read online that this or that is comfort food? Have you noticed the stories reporting how a majority of Americans are now fat? A life of faithfulness is a constant challenge....even in the kitchen, even at the dining room table. There is as much of a temptation when we eat as when we date or when we make life decisions. Do you remember Jesus being tempted by Satan in the Wilderness in Matthew Chapter 4? What's the first temptation Satan used on Jesus? He offered Jesus bread! Satan knew that humans crave food and was more than willing to press that desire upon Jesus, manipulating Him!
Since when has food become our crutch? Nourishment in ancient times was a way to get enough food to keep one alive and productive. It was used to help the baby thrive, the person work heartily, and keep the elderly person active. Now, food has become what keeps people from being active, what forces people to live unhealthy lives, and what can placate the child. Food has even changed in its purpose. Where it used to be something that kept a person healthy, now it is a delicassy, a choice, or something to consume "fast". There are recipes for a Super Bowl Sunday, a thanksgiving dinner, and a day at the beach. Ads and coupons and media give you more and more options for eating out or eating more, because "you deserve a break today"!????
In times of war, some nations have found that bombarding the enemy with noise made the enemy unable to sleep and unable to respond quickly and rationally. The same goes with the commercialization of food today. We are bombarded constantly with commercials for food. It has become so constant a drone, that we are left desiring food when we aren't even hungry! We stuff ourselves with food when trying to stuff emotions in the soul. In point of truth, we eat when we feel like it or when we are emotional, not when we need it. Do you sense something wrong here?
In Philippians 3 quoted above, the Apostle Paul notes that sometimes people make a "god" of food. They worship it. He mentions to the church in Philippi that enemies of Christ made a god of "the belly". They lived for food. They chose food over what is good or what is right or what is holy. Thus, the belly became a type of "god" that was worshiped. Today, you might "live" for the next meal. You might not eat to live, you might live to eat. Do you "love" food in an unhealthy and ungodly way?
You might think that the best Christian thing to do is to diet. Not necessarily. Dieting can put even more an emphasis on food. It can make food choices the most important part of your day. I thought time with God and doing things out of love was the most important part of your day? Not with certain kinds of diets. There, how you eat is sometimes seen as whether you are a good person or not. For example, I have been a vegetarian at times in my life. I believe in eating a plant-based diet. But to some, if you don't eat "vegan", you are a bad person. When speaking against the Pharisees in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, "Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man." (Matthew 15:17,18 RSV) To Jesus, it wasn't food that defiled you before God. Food was meant to be consumed, taken into the mouth. Here, what really defiled a man was what we said out of our mouths, what came from the heart, what we did with our lips. Food, in and of itself, is not holy or unholy. What is holy or unholy are the thoughts we have that are sinful, the actions that we have that are evil, the sins that we live out.
Food, like money, can be good or bad, depending on what we do with it. The scripture says that the "love of money" is the root of evil. Money itself is neither good nor evil. The same with food. Food, in and of itself is just nourishment. How you approach it spiritually, whether you worship it, how you use it is what determines whether it is right or wrong. So, what is it you use food for?
When the prophet Daniel was up against evil, he changed his eating habits so that he was not tempted by the food from the king (Daniel 1:8ff). He knew that he had to eat right so that he could be an example to the king and not be defiled before God. He ate a plant-based diet knowing that the meat eaten in Babylon was often dedicated to foreign gods. Daniel thus ate different food, stayed away from the king's meat-based diet, to keep his body and faith lean and healthy. It was not long before the King noticed Daniel looking more healthy that the king began to listen to Daniel. Being faithful in his eating helped Daniel to reach the king with news from God. Food was used as an instrument for God's purpose. It was not something to be worshiped or loved. Food was used to further God's work only. That was its purpose.
So, where does that leave you? I'm not here to propose a certain diet to you. I'm not advocating that you diet. I am saying that if food gets in the way of your faith, stops you from doing what God wants you to do, prevents you from being the person God made you, something needs to change in the way you eat. The fork has killed more people than guns. Does it need to kill you? Food has tempted people from day one. Does it tempt you now? Do you, like Jesus, need to back off a food because Satan is using it against you? Do you need that food, or do you use food as a crutch or comfort instead of what God intended it for? Are you stuffing your body (God's temple according to I Cor 6:19) with crap-food, or with what God made for it? Fast food or a strong faith… sometimes you gotta choose!
In our day, food is more than just nourishment. Sadly, it has become a source of comfort and excess. How often do you read online that this or that is comfort food? Have you noticed the stories reporting how a majority of Americans are now fat? A life of faithfulness is a constant challenge....even in the kitchen, even at the dining room table. There is as much of a temptation when we eat as when we date or when we make life decisions. Do you remember Jesus being tempted by Satan in the Wilderness in Matthew Chapter 4? What's the first temptation Satan used on Jesus? He offered Jesus bread! Satan knew that humans crave food and was more than willing to press that desire upon Jesus, manipulating Him!
Since when has food become our crutch? Nourishment in ancient times was a way to get enough food to keep one alive and productive. It was used to help the baby thrive, the person work heartily, and keep the elderly person active. Now, food has become what keeps people from being active, what forces people to live unhealthy lives, and what can placate the child. Food has even changed in its purpose. Where it used to be something that kept a person healthy, now it is a delicassy, a choice, or something to consume "fast". There are recipes for a Super Bowl Sunday, a thanksgiving dinner, and a day at the beach. Ads and coupons and media give you more and more options for eating out or eating more, because "you deserve a break today"!????
In times of war, some nations have found that bombarding the enemy with noise made the enemy unable to sleep and unable to respond quickly and rationally. The same goes with the commercialization of food today. We are bombarded constantly with commercials for food. It has become so constant a drone, that we are left desiring food when we aren't even hungry! We stuff ourselves with food when trying to stuff emotions in the soul. In point of truth, we eat when we feel like it or when we are emotional, not when we need it. Do you sense something wrong here?
In Philippians 3 quoted above, the Apostle Paul notes that sometimes people make a "god" of food. They worship it. He mentions to the church in Philippi that enemies of Christ made a god of "the belly". They lived for food. They chose food over what is good or what is right or what is holy. Thus, the belly became a type of "god" that was worshiped. Today, you might "live" for the next meal. You might not eat to live, you might live to eat. Do you "love" food in an unhealthy and ungodly way?
You might think that the best Christian thing to do is to diet. Not necessarily. Dieting can put even more an emphasis on food. It can make food choices the most important part of your day. I thought time with God and doing things out of love was the most important part of your day? Not with certain kinds of diets. There, how you eat is sometimes seen as whether you are a good person or not. For example, I have been a vegetarian at times in my life. I believe in eating a plant-based diet. But to some, if you don't eat "vegan", you are a bad person. When speaking against the Pharisees in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, "Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man." (Matthew 15:17,18 RSV) To Jesus, it wasn't food that defiled you before God. Food was meant to be consumed, taken into the mouth. Here, what really defiled a man was what we said out of our mouths, what came from the heart, what we did with our lips. Food, in and of itself, is not holy or unholy. What is holy or unholy are the thoughts we have that are sinful, the actions that we have that are evil, the sins that we live out.
Food, like money, can be good or bad, depending on what we do with it. The scripture says that the "love of money" is the root of evil. Money itself is neither good nor evil. The same with food. Food, in and of itself is just nourishment. How you approach it spiritually, whether you worship it, how you use it is what determines whether it is right or wrong. So, what is it you use food for?
When the prophet Daniel was up against evil, he changed his eating habits so that he was not tempted by the food from the king (Daniel 1:8ff). He knew that he had to eat right so that he could be an example to the king and not be defiled before God. He ate a plant-based diet knowing that the meat eaten in Babylon was often dedicated to foreign gods. Daniel thus ate different food, stayed away from the king's meat-based diet, to keep his body and faith lean and healthy. It was not long before the King noticed Daniel looking more healthy that the king began to listen to Daniel. Being faithful in his eating helped Daniel to reach the king with news from God. Food was used as an instrument for God's purpose. It was not something to be worshiped or loved. Food was used to further God's work only. That was its purpose.
So, where does that leave you? I'm not here to propose a certain diet to you. I'm not advocating that you diet. I am saying that if food gets in the way of your faith, stops you from doing what God wants you to do, prevents you from being the person God made you, something needs to change in the way you eat. The fork has killed more people than guns. Does it need to kill you? Food has tempted people from day one. Does it tempt you now? Do you, like Jesus, need to back off a food because Satan is using it against you? Do you need that food, or do you use food as a crutch or comfort instead of what God intended it for? Are you stuffing your body (God's temple according to I Cor 6:19) with crap-food, or with what God made for it? Fast food or a strong faith… sometimes you gotta choose!