Eat to Honor God

The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God (Romans 14:6).

The Hebrew month of Shevat, which corresponds, with February is an appointed phase of the year to ponder bodily appetites, particularly with food. If you think about it, food has a spiritual connection to our lives. The Lord's Supper is an act of supreme worship, which involves both eating and drinking and the deed of disobedience that led to the fall of humanity, involved eating from the wrong tree.

I did not grow up in a family that said, “grace.” We ate together which many families no longer do, but we didn’t eat with a mind to honor God. We came to the table hungry, filled our stomachs and forgot God. The gifts that God gives us are for us to enjoy but do we grab the gift to leave the giver behind? In a culture where people call themselves foodies, describe meals as sexy and avidly watch “The Food Network” on television we need to clean the palate.

I enjoy and look forward to a great meal. What I need to guard my heart against is praising the food while failing to honor the One who created it. If a passion for eating consumes me, my love for Christ is on the back burner. Are we lovers of God or lovers of pleasure? If the focus of our day is “what’s for dinner” we may need to take a second look rather than a second helping.

To give thanks in all things is the will of God. God blesses our food and sets it apart for our consumption when we in faith, motivated by love, thank Him for it. Food sustains life, and the pleasure of it must never trump the One who created it. May our thanksgiving for what we put in our mouths heighten our awareness of God and deepen our love for Him.