Food Can Be Spiritually Healthy

By J. Randal Matheny

     First, food can be spiritually unhealthy. Adam and Eve ate and sinned. The prophet from Judah was enticed by the offer of a meal to disobey God and died for it, 1Kgs 13. Sitting down to eat with a ruler can be dangerous, Prov 23.1-2. Gluttony is a shame, Prov 28.7. It makes one lazy, Tt 1.2. Love feasts can hide deadly hidden reefs, Jude 12.
     But food can be spiritually healthy as well. It refreshed Elijah, 1Kgs 19.5-8. It helped disciples understand that Jesus had risen, Lk 24.30-31, 41-43. Multiplied food taught disciples to depend on the Lord for resources, Mt 14.16-18. Sharing food among Christians, from house to house, had a good effect within and outside the church, Acts 2.46-47.
     Brownies, coffee cake, and blueberry muffins may not be so healthy physically, but they can be spiritually healthy. (At least, the wife's coconut muffins are healthy in both.) We use them and other foods to share with non-Christians, break the ice, show we are normal people. We often have people over for brunch, where spiritually healthy conversations and relationships can develop.
     Perhaps the most spiritually healthy food is the Lord's supper. God's people gather round the Lord's table every Sunday and remember, with profound spiritual benefit, that Jesus died for all and will come again to claim his own.
     Food is a gift of God to be received with thanksgiving, 1Tm 4.4-5. For it can nourish not only the body, but the spirit, for lasting good.

- J. Randal Matheny edits and writes UPLift, an inspirational ezine. He
may be contacted here: <http://randalmathenycom/>. When reprinting this
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