But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Daniel 1:8 NLT
We are all aware that personalities, bodies, and DNA all vary greatly. However, we sometimes forget that a slim physique does not necessarily mean a person is eating healthily and honoring God with his or her body. It’s much bigger than that. Diet (as in what we eat, not just how much we eat) is an important consideration for everyone.
God values our spiritual life and our heart the most, but He clearly deeply values our bodies as well. I can think of three reasons why He would – first, because He wants us to care for this valuable tool, providing maximum energy for maximum contribution to making His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Secondly, Jesus said (John 10:10) He came to give us life overflowing and to the full. Physical health, as good as we can make it, is part of that. Third, caring for our health gives us extended life here to fulfill the purpose for which our lives matter. I remember an elderly evangelist telling us in college that we needed to start good habits to not appear before Jesus with a shortened life due to our neglect. He has work for us to do here!
With so many significant reasons to care for our bodies by eating wisely, it’s only to be expected that our greatest struggles would involve discipline regarding our consumption. Don’t conclude that this is only the problem of people who are considered overweight. There are multiple causes, including incurable and hard to manage diseases, why some are visibly heavy. But, since “appearance” is typically the reason for working on our consumption diet, let’s look at other ways of honoring or dishonoring God through our diet. Daniel considered eating and drinking things that were not wise for him to be a spiritual matter, and he even risked the ire of a pagan king captor to request a change.
Eating too much or too little is equally harmful. Bingeing and purging, a variety of eating disorders, can emerge from focusing on the wrong reason for food. As the saying goes, eat to live, don’t live to eat. On either side of the equation, refuse the temptation to make food an obsession. Don’t fill up on junk. Eat the proper amount of healthy food. Ask the doctor what you should be eating, then do it. Take your medicine. There are some disorders that also need medical assistance, like diabetes. Be wise and faithful. Make eating a celebration of love. The biblical record was full of feast days, but the emphasis was not on the food – it was on the fellowship and the relationships.
- Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Where in your physical health regarding food can you benefit from increased joyful discipline?