“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1
Thanksgiving Meal (Photo credit: Tostie14)
Food has an amazing range. It can be presented in the form of inedible nutrition but it can also take the form of delightful bliss. Food is an art. There are those who have the gift of manipulating the alchemy of flavors to produce master-pieces for the taste buds and there are others who are culinary hacks. Everyone with functioning taste-buds has been a judge of the artistry of the food that they consume.
Social occasions involving the consumption of food are the best examples of our role as judge. Inevitably, someone will make a pronouncement of their judgment during a meal. “This sure is delicious”, is a statement that most of us have made in our attempt to show our appreciation to the host. The best compliment that a host can receive for the meal that they have prepared is to receive a request for the recipe.
Chefs in training in Paris, France (2005). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When frequenting a restaurant, a portion of the conversation will inevitably be spent on an evaluation of the food. I am always curious about the menu selection of my companions. In my role as judge, I will not return to an establishment if the food they serve does not meet or surpass my alternatives. Therefore, I am curious of others culinary opinions to help me make a decision as to whether I will return.
I have a tendency to bring this role of judge into my spiritual life. I often sit in judgment of what is offered to me. As I listen to a sermon, I like the delightfulness of an elegant speaker. I appreciate someone who communicates in a manner that captures my attention. I make judgments on the quality of writing that I read. I want to read the writing of someone who can speak to me with an ease and fluency that makes understanding a pleasant experience.
I make judgments on the state of affairs that I find myself in. This situation is bad. These circumstances are good. I hope for opportunities and shuffle from difficulties.
An evaluation of the world around us and its influences is something that we all must do.
However, we can take this perspective too far. We can view all that we expose ourselves to and that which we are exposed as food for our soul. We can experience spiritual food that is good, bad or even poison. There are times when our soul responds to a word like a child to candy. There are other words that make us cringe as if tasting vinegar.
We can elevate the nurture of the soul to our life’s purpose.
All that we do can become about presenting a pure, undefiled, and mature soul to our Lord at the conclusion of our earthly existence. All that we interact with then comes under our judgment as to the quality of the food for the goal of our life – the preservation and nurture of our soul.
However, have you ever considered that our souls are the food?
If our purpose is to glorify God, then we are the sacrifice in the offering of glory to the King of kings. We are not the ones sitting in the role of judgment. God sits in the role of judge. He is the one who determines whether He is held in highest esteem. He determines who will wear the wreath of the good and faithful servant. He is the one who tastes the offerings of our hearts to determine its quality.
We have an opportunity in all that we do to bring glory to our Lord.
Every sermon we listen to;
Every book we read;
Every person we bump into;
Every circumstance we find ourselves in…
We take on a fragrance to God by how we walk through this life. We embody a flavor either from the Spirit or the world. We are constantly presenting an offering to God. Our reactions to the world around us determines whether the offering that we present to the Father is delightful, savory, bland, or bitter. Everything that we have been given can be turned into a pleasing marinade to our soul or a catastrophe of the spice rake.
May we relish our role as food.
May we delight in the realization that our lives are an offering to our Savior.
May we strive to be the delightful sacrifice that we have been called to be.
PRAYER: Lord, I want to be a pleasing offering. Forgive me for slipping into the mindset that my life is all about me. Forgive me for not considering how my reactions affect the quality of my offering. Lord, continue to remind me that you have blessed me with a wonderful role of offering my life as a sacrifice to you. May it be pleasing. May it bring the glory that is due you. I pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
A DEVOTED LIFE 