April 06, 2009
Give Us Today Our Daily Bread
I think it’s safe to say that one thing all believers have in common is giving thanks at mealtime. We ask God to bless the food we are about to consume to the nourishment of our body, but it has never occurred to me to give thanks to the God for not eating the food he provided. “…He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” (Ro 14:6b NIV) Whether it’s dieting or the observance of Lent, I’m wondering if some of us may have misplaced thankfulness. My pattern has been to thank God for helping me resist certain foods (sacrifice) rather than giving thanks to Him for abstinence.
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Gail;
-----I haven’t related well to giving thanks for not eating. A good ten percent of my 220 pounds testifies to that. My stomach goes, “Maybe hungry,” my mind goes, “Yah! Food!” Then my heart serves my vision a constant image of City Market until my fingers are feeding bills into the self-check-out machine so my feet can carry a bag of potato chips, cheese crunches, or some other grease delivering substance back to my office. God gave me an appetite that seems to be eternally ready for its next bite, and I don’t give Him thanks for that, either. But I do thank Him that I weigh less than 230 and that I eat less than I did a couple years ago. I also thank Him that I realize time is continually dressing my body in all the trappings of old age and that He has reserved a piece of me to rise a little above this insanity and beckon all my other parts to stand down so I can grow old with some dignity. I like your idea. Thanking Him for each time I go, “No,” to the potato chip bag could only make that beckoning little voice more appealing to the rest of my conspiring parts.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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