Not by Bread Alone

Living in America means an abundance of bread, and what seems like, an endless amount of food everywhere.  It is a blessing to have plenty of food, but as Christians, we are to be temperate in all things, and that includes eating.

“Do you eat to live or live to eat? ” Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”, said Jesus Christ in Matthew 4:4 KJV. Have you ever considered how many verses there are in scripture that deal with eating and/or food?  Proverbs 23 is just one example of many.

“Oh, it’s no big deal!”, you say.  “God gave us all things to richly enjoy.”, you conclude.  This is true, but in I Corinthians 9:27 KJV, we’re told to keep our bodies (our physical desires-lusts) from controlling us. Do you overeat on a daily basis? Have you considered you may have a stronghold in this area?

God created us with emotions so that we would go to him in times of distress and trouble.  The world offers vices, such as, alcohol, drugs, pornography, and gambling to help lost people cope and deal with stress. Most Christians would be ashamed to confess they use any of those vices to cope with their problems but guess what? The world offers pizza, ice cream, cake, french fries, doughnuts, chips, cookies, candy, etc. to Christians and far too many take the bait.

Food is a wonderful blessing that brings health and fuel to our bodies, but it can also be used as a  substance to help us cope with life and get through our day. This is not what God wants for his people. God wants us to go to him and feel our emotions, not to food to stuff them down..  He wants us to live freely for Him and not to be brought under the power of anything. Easier said than done, I know, but it is the right path to be on.  Let us live for the One who died to set us free and not live by bread alone.