Watch What You Eat

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." - 1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV

Peter growing up as he did in Hebrew culture knew all about food restrictions. There were many things That he could and couldn't eat. Traveling Hebrews were known by their eating habits.

It is easier to eat a certain way at home or in a culture that promotes the same kind of food consumption. Everyone eats the way you do. But when you are away from home things get complicated because different cultures have different ideas about food.

"But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself... At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables." - Daniel 1:8, 15-16 ESV

God had given food restrictions as a means of testimony and of protection to the people of Israel. It does not carry over into the Church.

"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'" - Acts 11:5-9 ESV

As a matter of fact the lifting of restriction in this area is a picture of the freedom we have in grace.

But let's go back to the original verse we started with.

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." - 1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV

If you as foreigner eat certain things in certain countries there is going to be an instant and possibly long lasting war against your flesh isn't there? If you dive right into the local fare the local people who find foreigners interesting because they are different are going to say to you, 'You like our food. You are one of us.'

Likewise if you are new to a group and gossip with them. They will say, 'You are one of us.' or if you are mean to someone that the group is mean to you will be accepted quickly.

As believers we are not called to be accepted in the group. We are called to bring God's acceptance to each individual in the group. That means we watch what we eat. Not food wise but in thinking and speaking.

We eat mercy and grace and we will be products of mercy and grace. That is the honorable conduct spoken of here... not morality... but a life of love and good eating.

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." - 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 ESV

When will live in grace we are adaptable in ways rigid thinking could never make us. We are not fitting in. We are winning souls instead of being won over by a culture that is hopeless.

We love people so we like what they like and dress the way they dress if need be but we just don't think that way they think. We have the mind of Christ.

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