1 Corinthians 10:27-30

²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. ²⁹ I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

TMEC

Well, certain individuals identified TMEC as The Maples Eating Church to underscore eating as supplementary to fellowship. Eating is not derogatory; it is necessity for any living person. Eating is essential element of church fellowship.

The Lord blesses you even more when you celebrate your anniversary or birthday with everyone in the church. When believers are satisfied, they will thank and praise God. So, instead of paying for costly ambiance and services at a restaurant, we prefer to share our celebration food with our family of believers.

Together, let us meditate on what it admonishes us in Galatians 6:9-10.

 ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Sharing our celebration food with the family of believers has also saved us a large portion of our Sunday school budget for snack, and it is considered as good work in the eyes of the Lord. Spiritually, you are also planting good deeds you will harvest at the proper time. Can you sincerely accept such interpretation?

In summer, most people schedule activities outdoors; they have plans for celebrations: Graduation, birthday, anniversary, reunion, cultural and traditional occasions, or just simple gatherings of families and friends. And the highlight of most gatherings is dinner. Food is attractive to anyone. Politicians recognized also that free food can revitalize rally participants and attract curious attendees.

What did Christ teach about food? The Lord teaches in Matthew 15:17-20:

¹⁷Whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body. ¹⁸But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.

Christ warns that we should be concerned about our word more than food. Food we prefer to eat won’t harm our image before God. And, if we are following certain dietary plans for our health, would it make us or anyone better Christians? Of course, you can perform better in the ministry if you are physical healthy. When you are invited to special occasion and reservation is required, you have to reserve the kind of food you prefer to eat. If you prefer to eat vegetables and fruits, meat or seafood, you just need to specify what food you desire to eat.

1. Desire

²⁷If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 

Did Apostle Paul admonish us to eat anything that other people may offer?

The statement “And you want to go” means when invited to a dinner, we decide if we attend or not. It implies personal awareness of the occasion, and those who invite us should also know our situation, health, dietary plans or food restrictions.

First and foremost, if you are following a strict dietary plan for betterment of your health, you should consider that. You should know the time of the occasion you are invited to attend, and be aware of your schedule or appointments.

Invitation to attend an occasion could be courtesy gesture to celebrate with those who invite us. Of course, if we attend we make sure that we do not have hesitations to enjoy the occasion. For instance, you have serious health concerns and you just wish to please your relatives or friends, so you try to accommodate them, will it benefit your testimony as believers of Christ? What do you think?

Conscience helps us know that first and foremost, we have to take care of our health, why? If you attend occasions, but you cannot relax, you cannot enjoy the fun because you are very concerned of your own health issues or schedules, then, you and your host cannot have fun together. Right? Consciously, we can perform our responsibilities much better with gladness, if we are healthy, right?

Call in Sick

Most companies provide “call in sick” benefits for employees. Employees who are sick of their job call in sick. It is right to call in sick if you are physically or mentally sick. But if you’re healthy is it conscientious for Christians to call in sick? If you’re sick and don’t care about your job, look for job that won’t make you sick.

Would the Lord bless Christians who lie about their health and call in sick?

A story was told about someone who connived with a medical doctor to give him prescription as proof that he was sick on particular days. He lied about his health frequently and received his salary without going to work. So, what happened?

The said employee became really sickly and was forced to retire at young age. How can anyone enjoy their wealth when they are really very sick?

Seriously reflect on what the Lord told Cain in Genesis 4:7, ⁷If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

The Lord gave us conscience to determine what is right and proper. But human instinct is inclined to do what’s wrong. Anyone is tempted to imitate what most people do even if it’s not proper. We prayerfully ask the Lord to inspire us to focus on what is right and proper. For instance, we eat what benefits our health.

Many people have dietary plans, and they do not drink soda or soft drinks. By the way, what is the healthiest soda? How can soda be healthy? Healthy soda is contradictory concept; healthy soft drink is oxymoron. What do you think? Should the proper question be, “How can soft drink benefit our health?” Soda may gratify thirst but certainly, too much soda or softdrink can cause many illnesses.

But if you cannot help it, if you cannot totally quit drinking soda then, take or drink moderately. Could we get any health benefit from soft drink or soda?

As we grow old, medical doctors would advise to moderately eat certain food that may aggravate sickness. If occasionally, we crave for delicacies we eat normally when we are healthy, does it make us feel guilty? If medical doctors advise that our favorite delicacy is not beneficial to our health, is it acceptable or pleasant to the Lord, if we insist on eating intentionally our favorite delicacy?

Who do you casually ask advice from? Millions of people are very quick to search online. Online advisories are seemingly great but be prayerful. You might just be connecting with artificial intelligence. Pray for discernment to know what can be practically realistic and determine what may personally benefit spiritually.

2.  Determine

²⁸But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. ²⁹I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 

Our decisions should not be judged or determined by what others believe as proper or improper, whether we eat or avoid food sacrifice to idols. If you are sure of what you stand for, belief or doctrine you practice, you should be aware if you eat or avoid food sacrificed to idols or any food bought from marketplace.

If you have health issues and you’re invited to dinner, make sure to inform your host what you preferred to eat before agreeing to attend. Confusion may happen when you tell your preferred food only after the food is already served.

While it may not be commonly followed these days, there are traditional or cultural norms that people may still practice in their gatherings. Do you have any relatives or friends who occasionally offer foods to idols? If your conscience tells you that it is not proper for you to attend, you may politely decline any invitation.

Together, let us seriously reflect on what it advices us in Romans 14:2-3:

²One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 

As children of God and citizens of heaven, we serve the Lord. He will judge us one day if we did our part religiously or not. Pray for empowerment to stand and practice beliefs and doctrines that may help us grow mature spiritually.

Eating our favorite delicacies without raising question of conscience is biblically acceptable. Wasting food is not sensible, not wise. Wasting food should be avoided. It’s prudent and wise to be frugal. Frugality and avoid waste are vital economic principles of progress. You work hard to provide for your family.

Teach children not to waste food. What does Christ teach about surplus food?

Gather

All four Gospels have recorded that Jesus fed thousands of people. What he says after that? Well, did you know that Jesus is concerned about leftover? Together, let us reflect on what it narrated in John 6:12-13, ¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

Christ instructed us to gather leftover food. And, many parents are growing bigger because they would eat and not waste leftovers of their children. Parents: Teach children the value of food; teach them to take food they can consume or finish. Christ commanded us to gather and not waste leftover food. So, wasting food is disobedience to the command of Christ, right? Disobedience to him is sin.

Now, if we are praying for blessings, we need wisdom to be economically prudent. It favors us to use resources sensibly. It benefits to avoid wasting food. If we use resources with prudence, will the Lord blesses us more? To internalize the instructions of Christ, pray for wisdom. Surely, he will not denounce that!

3.  Denounce

³ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

Conscience guides us to know what is right and proper; it is proper to be thankful for provisions and avoid wasting food. In comparison, the Holy Spirit inspires us to recognize God as provider of our needs, including our food.

So, if God is the provider of our food, he must be glad if we are thankful for the food he gives. And, if we avoid wasting leftover food, will God denounce us?

May God activate our conscience to value his blessing! Amen! Anyway, Christians religiously pray and thank God for the food before eating. Giving thanks for the food before eating, do you have any idea how it started? Actually, Christ had exemplified it. Together, let us read and reflect on Matthew 14:19-20,

¹⁹Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Christ prayed and gave thanks to God the Father for the food. Gathering and not wasting leftovers food is biblical practice for Disciples of Christ. Christ himself told the disciples, and they gathered leftovers. Certain people may feel embarrassed to gather leftover foods. Are they pretending to be sufficient?

If we gather and take home leftover food, we are obedient to Christ. Right?

Others wish to satisfy their pretension. Which one do you wish to satisfy? Meditatively read Colossians 2:16-18. ¹⁶Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. ¹⁸Do not let anyone who delights in false humility

How do you internalize when it declares that religious festivals, New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day are a shadow of the things that were to come?

Religious festivals, New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day are a shadow of future reality found in Christ. Throughout history, celebrating special occasion is commonly accepted. We celebrate special occasion which is proper. Special occasions are moment we celebrate, fellowship, and eat food together. When we thank God for the food and we take home leftover, he must be glad for us!

Apostle Paul said, “If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?” How do you interpret that?

Do you interpret that? When we thank God for the food, others may still denounce or criticize us, and we can be affected by offensive criticism. But be assured that the Lord would appreciate our gratitude; he won’t denounce us.

Publish Food

Certain people publish pictures of food they eat; they publish food recipe that they normally cook or just have tried to cook for the first time. Subscribers or followers may learn from it. If you publish a delicious delicacy that you may have enjoyed, others may ask where you’ve ordered it, and they may also try it.

So, you promote a product that you have enjoyed and others may try it.

Imagine this: You cooked a delicacy and shared it to a friend. Your friend ate some and throw away the leftover, how do you feel? Will you share again?

Similarly, if we thank God and avoid wasting food and we praise him for the opportunity to enjoy his provision, certainly he blesses us more. Agree?

Together, let us learn from King David in Psalm 65:4-6, ⁴I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. ⁵I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. ⁶On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

Christ exemplified to pray and be thankful for food; he told the disciples, and they gathered the pieces that were left over. King David exemplified when he was satisfied with his food, he praised God. We also pray and thank God for his provisions. We follow the life examples of Christ and his disciples and we gather leftovers. To avoid wasting leftover practically testifies that we’re thankful to God.

The many good things God blesses us with are but a shadow of things that were yet to come. When? When Christ returns later or sooner, he takes us into heaven, and for all eternity, we enjoy many good things God prepared for us.

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