Feeding God’s temple

Rev Dwight Fletcher

Our bodies support multibillion-dollar industries. What to eat, what not to eat, what to wear, how to beautify it, how to keep it fit, how to surgically change it, the list is endless. But are we consulting the owner’s manual (the Bible) as we care for it? Let’s consult the Creator of our bodies and see what instructions He has given. Today, we look at feeding our bodies.

Some of our poor eating habits aren’t even deliberate. Often, we work through our lunch time and get unbearably hungry and then eat the thing that is easily accessible, which is often unhealthy. We should consider our eating habits and honour God by beginning to think about what and how much we put into our bodies daily.

I Corinthians 6:12 says: “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.” Some of us, are at times, slaves to food. Even though eating is not a sin, when food becomes our master, we live to eat, overeat, and that is when eating becomes a sin. When we do this, we’re not honouring God with our bodies.

“Obesity is the most prevalent chronic disorder in Jamaica, and the number of obese people in Jamaica is alarmingly high … obesity is linked to our diet, consumption of alcohol and our physical inactivity.” According to a World Bank study, “60 per cent of Jamaicans aged 35 to 54 were either overweight or obese.” – The Daily Gleaner April 2, 2014, interviewing Dr Kevin Harvey, acting chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health.

The Bible isn’t against food. God deliberately created us with over 10,000 taste buds in our mouthand the most highly developed palate of anything else in all creation. We were built to separate and experience many different tastes, and God wants us to enjoy food. We, however, must learn to enjoy eating the way God created us to eat. Here are some steps that can help:

a. Eat smaller portions. Our stomachs are only about the size of our fists. God created us that way to help guide us in how much we should eat.

b. Wait at least 10 minutes before going back for seconds. It takes 10-20 minutes for our stomach to tell our brain that it is full. Many times we don’t feel full, but if we were to wait, drink a glass of water, then our mind would have enough time to send the message that ‘you’re full’, and we wouldn’t go back for seconds. If not, we will start eating too much, too soon.

c. Walk before or after every meal. Taking a little walk before or after a meal helps the body to digest the food better and allows movement,which we need.

d. Make healthy, nutritious food choices as often as you can. We can ‘treat’ ourselves occasionally. Many times, we eat what’s not good for us because its what’s easily accessible. Planning for our meals will help us to honour God by feeding His temple in a way that supports good health.

Food is big business for a reason. It is a necessity and, therefore, we cannot do without it. We live in a world of options, where restaurants and even markets are now online and will deliver. There are entire industries that are based on us making bad food choices and/or overeating. Let’s honour God and take care of His temple by feeding it according to His guidelines.