God’s Word on GluttonyНамуна

Eat to love

If I gave you an essay question that read, 'Why did God create food?' what would you write?

Personally, I would put down two answers. First, God made food for your pleasure. When he knit you together in your mother’s womb, he crafted a body that would end up with thousands of taste buds to sense the sweet, the salty, the savory, and more. Human fuel could be a thick, gray, tasteless paste, but it isn’t. It’s a crisp tortilla chip, a perfectly grilled steak, a vine-ripened tomato because God made food for your pleasure. (Can I get an Amen?!)

Second, God made food for his purpose—to fuel your body to love others. Without food, you lack the calories needed to get up, lend a hand, think deeply about a problem, play on the carpet with your kid, help a friend move a sleeper sofa (the true proof of friendship!), write a Christ-centered sermon, or balance the family finances.

This is why God cares about gluttony. When you and I get too excited about the pleasure, we undo the purpose. When I pound three donuts in the break room because I crave the pleasure, I end up sluggish, weary, and can’t fulfill the purpose.

God isn’t against good food. You can love to eat. Just make sure you eat to love. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).