LIGHT FOR A HEALTHY LIFE (3)

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

LIGHT for a HEALTHY LIFE helps us to cultivate God-glorifying Habits of Healthy Eating: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor.10:31). God is uniquely interested in our body, how we treat it, and what we ingest, drink or eat. Scriptures give great worth to the body and its needs. David wrote: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My FRAME was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret…” (Psa.139:13-14). God knows our frames and He wants us to also watch over it (Psa.103:14).

My body belongs to God. It is God’s property. I don’t own it, He does. I am but a caretaker and steward. He created my body, and expects me to use it as designed (1Cor.6:12-20). Romans 12:1 says, “offer your BODIES as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” While contemporary culture is obsessed with physical beauty and sexy bodies, many believers ignore their bodies as if they don’t matter. What we eat, drink, and how we rest or exercise impact our health.

Our focus today is on Food – Diet or Nutrition. Food is a gift from God. We use it to celebrate, entertain, nourish, show love and hospitality, and to care for people in tangible ways. Food is a daily essential, but it can also be abused through gluttony or overeating (and undereating), or denial of it, misused to oppressor suppress others. When we bring God into our eating and strive to honour Him in our choices of food and drink.

From humanity’s inception, God underscored the worth of plants in nutrition – “And God said, “See, I have given you every HERB that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for FOOD” (Gen. 1:29). However, Noah’s diet changed after the flood, which seems to coincide with a dramatic drop in human lifespan (Gen.9:1-3). Daniel’s diet is another worthwhile reference. Preference for vegetables and water produced healthier, better results in physical and mental nourishment (Dan.1: 8-10, 15-16).

Let’s pay more careful attention to our nutritional habits: adequate daily water intake; daily servings of fruits and vegetables; balanced meals; minimal intake or avoidance of caffeine and carbonated drinks, saturated fats, highly processed foods, and fast-food or ‘junk’ meals. Apart from enjoying good health on earth, we will ultimately give account to God of life in this body: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the BODY, according to what he has done, whether be good or bad” (2 Cor.5:10).