| Food - It does the body good ! |
| I know what you are thinking if you struggle with an eating disorder�. �Food does the body harm! It�s what makes me fat.� Well, God has given me a different perspective on food, which has brought freedom in my life. Food and feasts are mentioned quite frequently in the Bible. Below are just a few references that I hope will help you view food as God�s gift, not His curse. |
| Psalm 104:14-15 says, �God causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, so that he may bring forth food from the earth�food which sustains man�s heart!� Did you catch that? God provides food for humans because it sustains our hearts! It keeps us alive, it helps us grow, and it gives us strength! |
| I Timothy 4:4 �For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude.� Here, Paul was specifically talking about food because some individuals were saying that certain foods should be abstained from. Does that sound familiar? We label foods as �bad� and �good� based on calories and fat grams. Granted, too much of anything is bad, but this verse clearly presents the idea that God created all foods as good for us to enjoy. Moderation is the key here. Think about it�. Why would God create brownies, pizza, and chocolate ice cream to torture us? Food was created to satisfy us and bring us pleasure. Consider the different taste buds in your mouth? If God wanted you only to enjoy certain foods, why would there be a variety of foods and tastes? |
| Luke 15:22-23 When the prodigal son returned home his father said to his slaves, �Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry.� Often, feasts marked celebrations in the Bible. The Passover feast, Harvest feast, Pentecostal feast, and wedding feasts are some of the feasts mentioned in the Bible. It is evident that food is a part of celebration. Why not come home like the prodigal son and feast at the Lord�s table, celebrating by allowing yourself to eat the wonderful foods he has created. |
| Matthew 14:19-20 �And ordering the multitudes to recline on the grass, He took five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves, He gave them to the disciples, and disciples gave to the multitudes (5,000), and they all ate, and were satisfied.� Here we see Christ blessing the food that His Father created and provided for the crowd. They all ate and were satisfy. If I could sum up the whole food issue it would be this: Food is to satisfy our hunger. Satisfy does not mean under-nourish or binge on food, but to give the body what it needs to survive and function. If we over-indulge, then we have given way to greed and loving food more than anything else. Moderation is the KEY! |
| Through these verses and perspective, I have come to point where I enjoy peanut butter cookies and macaroni & cheese. I usually eat three average meals a day, and if I get hungry at night, a light snack. Yes, at first it was hard, but by reminding myself of these truths, I began to thank God for His wonderful creations that satisfy me and sustain my heart! |