2 Feb 2012
Hebrews 13:9
Hebrews 13:9: “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”
The Bible’s philosophy is not “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Rather, the Lord wants us to be careful that we don’t give ourselves over to food and drink, seeking fulfillment in it instead of in Him. Eating things does not draw us closer to God, but it can be a distraction if we seek to please our flesh instead of Him. As this verse says, food has not profited those who have been obsessed with it.
Where do we find our joy? Is it in the things that we eat, the things that our flesh craves, the things that we covet, or in our Lord? Are we exercising wisdom, or are we simply giving our body over to whatever it happens to want?
Does that mean that it’s a sin to enjoy our favorite foods? Of course not! But we need to be very careful with our heart. God does not want us to think “Well, I want it, so I’ll just do it. God wants me to be happy and if I do whatever I want, when I want, then life will be good.” God wants us to die to ourselves and to our own desires and then live unto Him, giving ourselves wholly over to Him so that our lives might bring Him honor. Our mission in life should not be self-gratification. In a sense one might say that we are not here to pursue happiness, for being a Christian often means suffering tremendously (as Jesus Himself did). Rather, we are here to serve the Lord and bring Him glory. That should be the focus of our life.