Beyond Food
By Gary Toh, Director of Prayer Ministry
There is something I need to confess––I am a foodie. I grew up in Singapore, which is a food paradise with many local and international cuisine. Singapore is a cosmopolitan island where it has attracted food lovers from all over the world.
I am really passionate about food. I love to eat good food. One of my greatest fears in life is not being able to enjoy good food. There is a saying that there are people who eat to live and there are those who live to eat. I am unashamedly the latter.
When I became a Christian, one of the questions I asked myself was: “What is heaven like?” For me, it will be an endless buffet line of food, cuisine throughout the ages from all over the world. I was pleasantly surprised when I read this verse in the Bible:
“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:6-9)
I am just amazed at how God can be so generous to provide for His people. He will throw a party that will last forever. It is the feast where we will celebrate and worship Him. It will be a place where there is no more death and no more tears. It will be an amazing place to be.
The Bible says that while still on earth, Jesus spent quite a bit of time eating and drinking with people so much so that His detractors called Him a “glutton and drunkard,” even though it wasn’t true. Eating was a way for Jesus to connect with people.
In the Bible, it also says: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God ...” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
I have always felt guilty about enjoying food.. But I have come to realize that God also takes pleasure in the things we enjoy doing, like hobbies and sports, among others. At the end of the day, do our hobbies and other things we enjoy give glory to God? Can we give glory to God even in the little things that we do?
With every step that we make in life, we are making decisions on a daily basis. What decisions will bring glory to God in how we live our lives? The choices we make, how we choose to relate to others, and respond to situations can reveal what it is or who it is we are living for. How we live our life every day can highlight our fears, insecurities, anxieties, hopes, plans, and desires. Glorifying God is a way of life, and not just turning up for church on Sunday. It should affect our Monday-to-Saturday interactions and decisions.
Prayer: Lord, I dedicate my whole life to You. May every aspect of my life give You glory … from the food I eat, to the hobbies I enjoy, to how I live my life as a whole. Amen.
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