I think I’ll pretend it hasn’t been nearly a week since my last post and try to seamlessly proceed with the topic of Bible-approved foods. But seriously, the fact that I veered so appallingly from my every-other-day blogging schedule is really bothering me! Then again, as I wrote in my New Year’s posts, I’ve resolved to be a-ok with ridding myself of my routine….at least occasionally. Nevertheless, fair readers, it’s time for me to refocus! Now where were we…ah, yes, Jesus… food…healthy…got it!

Last week I blogged about the ways in which God-made foods – you know, the kinds that grow on trees, sprout from the ground, traipse around in fields, and sing with Sebastian “under the sea” – testify to their Creator and, one would think, compel mankind to stop and inquire, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him? (Psalm 8:4).

Okay, I doubt any of us would express our awestruck wonder like King David did, but you get the idea; we see how a fruit’s color describes its nutritional content, we recognize that a vegetable’s shape resembles its function, and we can give thanks that God designed and created it all just for us.

 “Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” – Psalm 100:3

I read a book a few years ago (The Maker’s Diet by Dr. Jordan Rubin) that completely opened my eyes and shed light on a subject I’d been questioning for a while: biblical dietary laws. Why do Jewish people eat kosher? What does kosher mean, and what the heck is wrong with pigs in a blanket and a catfish supper?! I knew that God had a good reason for shutting down the Hebrews’ shrimp shack, but I wanted to know what that reason was…

Kosher simply means “proper” or “correct,” and a few of the rules are that all fruits and vegetables must be inspected for bugs, all blood must be drained from meat and poultry or broiled out of it before it is eaten, and of the animals allowed to be eaten, the birds and mammals must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law.

Now, I know these are Old Testament laws right out of Deuteronomy and Leviticus written 3,000 years ago, but God does not change, and neither have the animals He instructed us not to eat. Truth be known, with all the growth hormones and antibiotics injected into livestock today, the animals are only getting worse…

I encourage you to quickly read the first four verses of Romans 8. It shows us that we are set free from “the law of sin and death.” I understand that we as Christians are not bound to the dietary laws prescribed for God’s people under the Old Covenant, but I also believe we can apply their principles to our everyday lives and reap extraordinary benefits. It isn’t about breaking the law and offending God; it’s simply about establishing great health.

Well, we haven’t even gotten into the disgusting nature of swine and bottom-feeding fish, but don’t you worry, there’s more to come! Enjoy a ham sandwich or Sausage McMuffin today…it could be your last ;-).

Stay fit, stay faithful ~<3 Di