Thanksgiving |
Daniel
1:8 (NASB)
But
Daniel made
up his mind that he would not defile himself with
the king’s choice
food or |
The
world around us is in a fitness craze
these days. It’s great that we recognize the importance of being
physically fit
and healthy, watching what we eat and improving our physical
health, but
many of us have gone to the extreme.
I
had lunch with some business associates recently
and noticed most of our discussion centered around what was bad for us
and what
we should and shouldn’t be eating, what we should or shouldn’t be
drinking, and
what exercises we should be doing and how often we should be doing
them. Then I
finally realized that our conversation actually hindered us from
appreciating the
very meal we had gathered to eat and enjoy!
Most
of us eat a meal three times each day.
Let’s face it—eating is a big part of our lives. We wouldn’t survive
without the
regular commodity of food. So quite simply, let us recognize each meal
for what
it is—a gift from God.
Before we gobble it up and move on to the
next thing, let's slow down and take a moment to thank
Him for it. We don’t
have to announce our thanks publicly; just simply acknowledge in our
heart
that we recognize and appreciate the good gifts He provides for us. A
simple
and even silent “Thank you for this meal” speaks volumes to His
heart.
1
Timothy 4:1-5 says, “But the Spirit
explicitly says that in later times some will fall
away from the
faith… 3 and
advocate abstaining
from foods which God has created to be gratefully
shared in by those
who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything
created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it
is received
with gratitude; 5 for
it is sanctified by means
of the word of God and prayer.”
You
see, the truth is if we receive the food
with thanksgiving and we believe
God
has sanctified it (set it apart as holy) as He said, then we can
partake and enjoy it!
If
we eat something that makes us feel guilty
because we’re afraid it’s going to harm our health, detract
from our
appearance or because someone else wouldn’t approve, then it’s very
difficult
to enjoy it, isn’t it?
1
Timothy 6:17 says, “Instruct those who are
rich in this present world not to be conceited or
to fix their
hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly
supplies
us with
all things to enjoy.”
How
much greater would our daily pleasure be if
we
believed God’s promises and received His gifts with thanksgiving?! Even
a
simple meal!
Daniel
and his friends had been captured
from Jerusalem by
the Babylonian army. The Babylonian king wanted the best, strongest and
brightest to serve in his court, and Daniel and his friends were
appointed by
the king to be trained and conditioned for that very purpose.
The king appointed them a daily
ration of
his own choice food and wine. But Daniel would not defy
God and
eat the king’s choice food and wine, since it was unlawful for a Jew to
partake
of the food sacrificed to false
gods. He
instead asked the king’s commander that he and his friends be served
only
vegetables and water.
The
commander at first objected because the
king expected Daniel and the young men to grow in strength and power
and he
knew vegetables and water would not be enough. So as Daniel 1:8 says,
he asked the
commander to test them for 10 days on vegetables and water and then
compare
them to the other youths who were eating the king’s food.
The
commander agreed to this test, and at the
end of 10 days Daniel and his friends were more robust and stronger
than all
the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food!
God rewarded Daniel's faith. God also rewards our faith—believing what
He says and sticking to it. Hebrews 11:6
says God
is a rewarder of those
who diligently seek Him. If we trust Him to take care of our
health by
believing His promise, then we can expect to be rewarded, as Daniel was.
If
we are anxiously trying to stay in complete
and total control of what we eat, how much we eat, how much and how
often
we
exercise, then we are probably depending on ourselves more than God to
take
care of our health. What
a burden!
We don’t have to obsess over following the rules from the latest diet plan or exercise routine. We can be
free
from that! I’m not saying that we can expect God to keep us
healthy if we
overeat every day and indulge in candy and junk food all the time—no.
What
I am saying is that we should do our
best to be a good steward of the body God has given us. After all, it
is the
temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and we should take that
very
seriously. But let's throw away the anxiety of
trying to
keep all the healthy
food rules and exercise mandates!
Let's give
thanks for our food and then enjoy
it! Wouldn’t our meals taste better
if there was no guilt
associated with it? And
wouldn’t we enjoy
exercising more if there was no anxiety attached to it?
When
we try to keep complete
control over all
the details, there is a striving—a struggle—to attain a certain result.
And
there are no guarantees that the perfect diet and exercise program
(even if we
can maintain it) will attain the results we want.
God
knows what’s important to us, and He
will answer our concerns if we ask Him and then trust Him
to do so. His way is so much simpler.
You
see, it’s not what we do (or what we eat
or don’t eat) that transforms our lives and bodies for the better, but
what we believe
and Who we trust. Jesus said many times in the New Testament, “Your
faith
has made you
well.”
Study
the Bible verse of Daniel 1:8, believe
God and be set
free.
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