Daily Devotional

I started out in vocational ministry as a Youth Pastor. I ran what I call a “competition model of youth ministry”. Wednesday night was our outreach night. I wanted every student to find a non-Christian friend and get them to Wednesday night. We were divided into teams. There was a team competition every Wednesday. Volleyball, soccer, relay races, etc. When you brought a friend, they would go to your team. So everybody was inviting athletes from their schools because they wanted to win. And we saw many students come to Christ. 

Well, in Youth Ministry, with all the activity and games, I could eat whatever I wanted and keep weight off. I was flying around all over the place. I would wear sneakers to work every day for the expressed purpose of “A basketball game might break out and I want to be ready.”

After being in Youth Ministry ten years, the church I was serving had a pastoral opening in Adult Ministry and offered it to me. After Jenn and I prayed about it, we decided to accept. It was hard to give up Youth Ministry, but I was ready for a new challenge. I had a blast evaluating what we were doing well in adult small groups and making changes where needed. I faced challenge after challenge, and God used me to make a difference. 

But one challenge I didn’t expect was the inactivity of being an Adult Ministries Pastor versus a Youth Pastor. In youth ministry I ate whatever I wanted and never gained a pound. Now in Adult ministry, not only was I less active, but I got invited over to people’s houses all the time for these get-to-know-you meetings. And with every meeting, people fussed, made pies, cakes, cookies, and pastries. They’d say, “Here, pastor, try this fresh apple pie, hot out of the oven.” Or “Here pastor, eat one of these chocolate chip cookies. They’re heavenly.” How can I turn that down? It would be insulting. So while I enjoyed all the great bakery items, I started to gain weight. 

I remember the day I refused to buy the next size bigger pants to make room for my growing…well, you know…size. I said, “enough is enough…I’m going to start eating better. And  remembered the verse…

“Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

When Paul the apostle wrote these words, he was talking about the choices we make every single day in a complex culture. The context here involves eating meat offered to idols. But the principle can have a broader meeting: Even the most basic physical acts, like eating and drinking, can be done to the glory of God.

So often we separate our “spiritual life” from our “physical life” Yet the Bible reminds us that our bodies are gifts and vessels for His work. Eating nourishing food is not about meeting some worldly appearance standard, or following some ‘joyless set of rigid rules’ for the sake of discipline. Instead it’s about saying thanks to the Giver of all good gifts. When we choose wholesome foods to promote health and strength, we are saying, “God, thanks so much for giving me this physical body. Help me take care of it so I can serve You for the long haul. 

On the other hand, when our appetite dominates our thoughts and goes unchecked, we can eat unwholesome foods that serve nothing more than giving us ‘temporary comfort’. And by doing so we miss the opportunity to honor our Creator by eating foods that keep our body healthy. 

I want to ‘eat to the glory of God’, keeping my body healthy, and regularly thanking God for His provision. And I’m going to pray that God will give me the discipline to treat my body as the temple where His Holy Spirit resides, so I can give Him glory in even the most basic things.

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.