“For the kingdom of
God is not a matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit,
because anyone who serves Christ in this way
is pleasing to God and approved by men.”
Romans 14:17-18 (NIV)
From
time to time the issue of what we, as Christians, eat comes into discussion. At
one time, those of the Catholic faith abstained from eating meat on Friday.
Those of the Adventist tradition adopt a vegetarian diet, partaking of fruit,
nuts, and vegetables.
The
Apostle Paul tells us the goals of the kingdom of God are righteousness—inherent
or imputed guiltlessness before God, peace—the presence or experience of right
relationships, and joy—great delight, gladness of heart. (1)
For me,
there are several items of food I don’t eat but it has to do with health issues
not spirituality. God loves those who can and do partake of those foods just as
much as he loves me.
His
focus is on pronouncing us, His children, without sin, bringing us into His
preence and giving us that great delight of being protected by Him.
(1.) Definitions
are from Guideposts Family Concordance © 1982 Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, TN pp. 592, 515, 378
I am thankful for His guidance and protection, and that we can abide under the shadow of His wings. Have a blessed week!
ReplyDeleteKaren: Thank you for stopping in. I, too, am thankful for God's guidance and protection, Blessings to you and yours.
DeleteHi Cecelia! We have several Adventist Hospitals in my area, and I know they used to have restricted food regulations. Coffee was one of them. But I believe they have loosened that up now.
ReplyDeleteI do think our regulations about things like food and drink should remind us of how much God cares for us, or help us to live a sacrificial life. But as you said, it's not about the food, it's about being like, and remembering Christ in our lives. (Beautiful image of Christ you have attached here, I really like it.) May I always be reminded of His great love for me.
Blessings!
Ceil
Ceil: In my faith tradition we observe Lent and each person chooses to give up something he or she likes for the time leading up to Easter. One year, I gave up TV, another year, I gave up Facebook, But, usually, I try to give up sweets. The image of Christ is a Sallman portrait. (I tried to find info on him for you but couldn't find what I wanted.)
DeleteRighteousness, peace and joy... I did a series once on the Kingdom, I love the topic! Thanks Cecelia.
ReplyDeleteMarja: Thanks for stopping in. I found it to be an interesting topic. We don't fully understand God and His desires until we learn of His righteousness and His desire for us to have it.
Delete