Eating as What??

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend and are now ready for a good (and on-plan) week.

I spent some time last night reading some of my early blogs and thought I'd share something I wrote almost two years ago.  Reading this again gave me food for thought, so I hope you'll enjoy it, too!

*****
I heard a great commentary on the radio a couple of days ago about the growing obesity epidemic in this country.  The commentary really got me thinking, because the commentator challenged the listeners to consider eating as an act of worship to God.

What???  I pray as an act of worship, I sing as an act of worship, I give as an act of worship, I do other things as an act of worship, but can eating really be an act of worship?  I think so, because the Bible says that in whatever I do, I should do all of it for the glory of God.  How I choose to nourish my body can be a way of honoring the Lord, which puts an entirely different spin on junk food

I've reprinted the commentary below, just in case it provides some food for thought for someone else.

Eating Ourselves To Death

Americans are vying for the title Heaviest People on Earth. One article after another records Americans "major league" eating habits, and now we are being warned that obesity ranks as a growing problem (no pun intended) among the nation's children.
I like to eat as much as the next person. Who doesn't? There is, of course, nothing wrong with eating. God fashioned omnivorous and carnivorous human beings. In the book of Genesis God said, "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (9:3). He gave us the fruits of his creation and commanded us to develop them for our use and his glory. Throughout history, as God intended, people have eaten not just for subsistence but for enjoyment and as a key element in human fellowship.
But as I've gotten older dieting has become a part of my lifestyle, whether I want it to be or not. A combination of abundance, junk food, and sedentary occupations makes it easy for most of us to overeat. We live to eat rather than eat to live.
In Proverbs, God says, "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor" (23:20-21). Moderation is always God's command regarding anything he has given us that is not in itself intrinsically evil. In other words, we get ourselves into trouble every time our participation in anything is motivated by self-indulgence.
Eating is a divine gift. When we eat according to God's standards, we reap bounty. When we eat according to selfish desires, we reap fat cells that carry with them their own consequences. Try this, think of eating as an act of worship and see how this thought changes your approach.

-

©Rex M. Rogers - All Rights Reserved
"Eating Ourselves To Death," #385 from the Making a Difference program, Cornerstone University Radio, and the Making a Difference newspaper column syndicated nationally.
*Making a Difference may be reproduced in whole or in part but must include a full attribution statement. Contact Dr. Rogers, President, Cornerstone University, or read more commentary on current issues and events on his blog at http://www.rexmrogers.com.
*****
I'm choosing to honor God with what I do today, including what I eat.  How about you?