You might say “I can eat anything. The Christian faith, with my freedom from the laws through my relationship with Christ, permits me to eat any food.” But all foods, and an overconsumption of foods, may not be good for you.
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:12-13
But, as the same scripture above tells us, our bodies were also meant for the Lord. Further in this sixth chapter of Corinthians, Paul tells us…
“Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ?” (Verse 15) and “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
In Romans, Paul encourages us…
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world…” Romans 12:1-2
So, how are you to eat? Are you going to continue to copy the eating patterns of your friends or of those who don’t have a relationship with God and and don’t care about how they treat their bodies?
I encourage you to meditate on these scriptures. Pray to God and ask him to reveal to you if your eating – and drinking – habits are honoring to him and to his temple, your body. If you genuinely desire to worship God in your eating and drinking behavior, then He will guide and empower you to do so in a way that He is honored.
After all, the Lord cares for your body!
Have a great day, in Christ!
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