Are you kidding me? Taking on something like that on a Monday morning? Something must be wrong with me. Water just comes out of my tap right? No processing, all natural, good for the body, and necessary for life, there should be nothing processed about water. Wait, that water in my town came from a well...at least I would assume that from the apparent volume of water flowing by the town in what we call the South Platte River. I mean, we are not exactly talking Amazon or Mississippi here. So, the process begins with an electro-mechanical pump bringing the water up from porous rock some dozens or scores, perhaps hundreds of feet below the surface where I would never be able to drink it naturally. The water is pumped to the town's water facilities where it is filtered through a reverse osmosis system, nothing completely natural about that going on, and then pressurized through more pumping. The process continues even in my home where another reverse osmosis filtration system finally delivers the 'natural' water to my tap. Oh, wait, they must be talking about additives when speaking of processed foods. That must be the answer. Did someone mention fluoride added to the drinking water? Chlorine to kill the bugs in it? Okay, maybe we better forget that processed water and just go for beer. Aaagh! This is supposed to be a Christian devotional, how can you advocate beer as our main drink?
Just trying to wake you up on a Monday morning. However, if it is the amount of processing and adding we are worried about, beer may be closer to a natural drink than many of the drinks we find in our grocery stores. What does this all add up to, pun intended there? We like to have power over another person's diet. Control the food (or drink), control the person. We have been warned... Reading in Paul's letter to Timothy this morning, I find that among those listed as leaving the faith and giving heed to the doctrines of demons that there will be those "commanding us to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth." Hmm, how much diet advice do you receive on a daily basis, whether you want it or not? Magazines, web site ads, television shows and even entire channels, all tell us how we should look and to achieve that perfect look, what we should and should not eat. If you collected nutrition and diet books, you could fill a library with nothing but books of that type. What is the apostle's dietary command then?
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." 1 Timothy 4:4-5. Aha! I can eat anything I wa... does he mean ants, worms, and grubs and such? Yes, if we receive them with thanksgiving. And many do eat creatures of this type, probably with thanksgiving. This is not a command to eat things we may find distasteful due to our upbringing. What is interesting is that Paul wrote this. You know, Paul - former pharisee of the Jews who could probably quote more dietary rules and regulations than you or I ever knew existed. Yes, that Paul. Want advice about your diet? Go to the one who created you. Take it up with God in prayer. Perhaps the only real problem in our food supply is all of the worrying we do before and after we consume it. Now there's a heavy thought for a Monday morning!
Bucky
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