Lenten Devotional (17): Eating the Right Things

You are what you eat!

On this 17th day of Lent, we are called to eat the right things. The Bible itself (pardon the pun) is consumed with the topic of food. It appears 225 times. God could have created us with no desire for food. He could have made us self-fulfilling creatures without dependence on anything from the outside to make us whole or give us pleasure. But this is not how he made us. In fact, on day one, he creates light so we can see his creation; on day two, he separates earth and sky, and God’s first creative work is food: “Let the land produce vegetation and trees that bear fruit.” Before God creates man, he already had a table of food prepared for him. I can only imagine that the first thing Adam did was eat from the land and trees.

But man becomes quickly enamored by foreign tables on his first day. Like a devilish dish, the meal of the wicked is often served with delicious appetizers. Sometimes, we salivate over it because our flesh seeks a table outside our Father’s house. But in the end, we become what we eat, and we will be more thoroughly equipped to fight sin when we remember that the table of evil is never ultimately satisfying.

In C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, Edmund was easily seduced to betrayal because he could not control his appetite. He chose a gift from the evil one over protecting his own family. Lutheran writer, Marva Dawn, summarizes brilliantly: “Always its pleasure will turn to dust in our mouths.” The biblical poet David says, “Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.”

The Season of Lent is a call to eat at God’s table and to turn away all worldly delicacies. Lent is a call to fast from the wrong foods and eat the delicacies of Yahweh’s garden.

Prayer: O, Lord, may I increase in love for those things that flourish in my heart and soul rather than destroy the body and soul. Place in me an appetite for the bread and wine from heaven which gives life eternal through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Hymn of the Day: Bread of the World in Mercy Broken