New Year 2022
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about food, or more to the point, nutrition. I have been thinking a lot about how God created food and how we are to ask him to bless our food. I am thinking that the tradition of saying grace has become rarely used, maybe only on holidays or special occasions.
So, I am going to look into what the Bible says about food, appetite, gluttony, being thankful, allowing God to provide our nourishment, man-made rules about food, and all things that could be causing our current epidemic of obesity and bad health.
When I was a child I was required to clean my plate. My parents were poor. They grew up poor. Sitting at the table alone after dinner because I didn’t finish my nasty lima beans. I have never required or expected my children to clean their plates. During much of their childhood my kids were raised by me during a phase of “Weigh Down Workshop” bible study classes. “Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full”, was the mantra of the late Gwen Shamblin. Her teachings were very relevant and helpful to me at the time as I battled weight gain after children and eating out of boredom or something was my normal.
I was diagnosed with diabetes about ten years ago and have struggled to maintain the proper A1C or glucose levels. In 2015 I gave up sugar completely. I made drastic changes to my diet to the point of basically eating only fruit, vegetables, and meat. Until last year, when I was diagnosed with small bowel diverticulitis and had to have an emergency resection, I had overcome my addiction to sugar and carbohydrates. Still my A1C and glucose levels never went low enough to say I had conquered diabetes.
So, the past couple of months I’ve been prayerfully pondering this. I have come to the conclusion that when we stop asking God to bless our food, it is a violation of his loving care for us. I couldn’t remember the last time I said thank you to him directly for the food he had provided for me. There are so many gurus online and on PBS touting the latest research into how our food is grown, how to supplement, how to …. Fill in the blank.
As I was pondering the loss of thankfulness and how the gurus of nutrition don’t make sense, I began to tell the Lord thanks again. I repented for forgetting about blessing my food. I asked forgiveness and so many times in the past few weeks I still forget to say thank you. I am working on that. I am not one for “New Years Resolutions”; I am one who decides to make a change – drastic changes as in eliminating sugar (I’ve loosened that rule a bit, but still very careful), exercising excessively (gave that up), or whatever it is. It is a decision. Daily it is a decision. Now my decision is to be thankful, to look into God’s word for direction in this area, and to follow his precepts where it comes to balancing out my life with the expectation of provision, healing, and to share that with whoever finds my blog.
I think about how God provided manna to the Hebrews. He didn’t have a nutrition label. He didn’t make them work or worry about it. He gave them simple rules to follow.
Here are scriptures that show up on a google search for “Bible Verses about Food”. I will be delving into each one as I study God’s word and his beliefs about my nutrition and health.
For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!