Old and New: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistrySample

Now you can eat whatever God created

Quite a few world religions, including some Christian groups, have food rules and restrictions today. Judaism still resolutely mandates a kosher diet for its adherents.

Acts chapter 10 has an amazing story about the lifting of kosher food restrictions. A Jewish fisherman and a Gentile military officer discovered that they were brothers and could eat together. “[Peter] fell into a trance. He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’ The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean’” (Acts 10:10-15).

The fact that God allows you to eat all things does not mean that he commands it. You may choose to omit things from your diet, like alcohol or red meat or any meat, for that matter. God loves vegans too. Just don’t use a religious rationale to impose your food choices on others. And remember to use moderation as you exercise your Christian freedom. You are not free to eat yourself obese or drink yourself drunk. When you eat and drink, do it to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).