Post by Pastor Tim – As a culture, we’ve become concerned with the kinds of foods that we eat (and rightly so), but the Bible indicates how we eat is even more important!  I’m not referring to the speed in which you eat, but rather the understanding of where your food comes from and the attitude in which you eat it.

James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”  If we apply that verse to the food we eat, then we begin to understand that food is given by God and it is given for a purpose.  Most of us wouldn’t disagree with the above statement, but it is much more common for us to think that our food comes from the money that we make by working hard.  When we think like this, the food is provided by our own hands for the purpose of satisfying our own hunger.  This effectively takes God out of the picture.

When we understand that our food comes from God, we are at the cusp of understanding that food should not only nourish us physically, but it should also nourish us in soul and spirit – remember that God created us as body, soul and spirit.  In other words, food is given by God for more than just keeping you alive!

Pastor Foley says,

So when we receive all food – meals, snacks, everything – as fellowship gifts given by the Son of Man, when we receive it as bread crumbs that lead us back to fellowship with God and then with God’s people, when we invest it in fellowship that strengthens body, soul, and spirit, then that physical food will endure to eternal life.  It comes from heaven and it returns to heaven – God’s provision becoming our worship.  Yes, eating is designed to be a form of worship.

This is the first step in practically sharing your bread.  It’s impossible to properly share our bread if we view our own eating as utilitarian rather than worship of God.  So before we invite the masses into our homes for a meal, we must ask ourselves some probing questions about our food . . .

• Am I thankful for each and every meal that is set before me?
• Do I recognize that even my snacks are from God and are designed to draw me closer to Him?
• Am I always hurried during my meals – eating on the go, in the car or zipping through the drive-through?
• Do I always watch TV during my meals, and effectively “space-out?”
• Do I share my meals with anyone or do I always eat my meals alone?
• Do my meals draw me closer to Christ?
• Do I ever use my meals to help others draw closer to Christ?
• Am I satisfied with the food that God has provided?

Jesus challenges us in Matthew 6:19-21 to use our resources in such a way that they will endure for eternity.  Our food is also a resource that could that could rot and be destroyed, or if used properly could endure for eternity.

As my family eats our meals this week, we are going to ask ourselves the question – “What does it look like to share our bread so that each meal we eat endures to eternal life?”

I’d like you to ask the same question and invite you to share the results in the comments below.