Accept the One Whose Faith is Weak

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

We just had a really encouraging weekend together as a family and with various friends.  The other night I was engaged in a conversation with two dear friends of mine.  We were together for dessert/coffee and games with our families.  (I brought my own delicious, warm chocolate mint bar!  Mmmm...)

While in the kitchen, the conversation among the ladies turned to nutrition.  These are women I deeply respect, as I know they have (and still do) research the best possible foods to feed their families.

You know, though...there are a lot of debates about what good nutrition should look like.  I wouldn't say we were debating, or even disagreeing, but there were some things that made me think, "I believe that is true, but not for me."

Which begs the question:

Is it okay for one person to eat a certain food while another abstains, even if there may be nutritional benefits that that food?

Of course it is!  Thank goodness the Bible even addresses this matter specifically in Romans 14:1-6.

 ¹ Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.  ⁵ One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Seeing my addiction to food as a weakness is good and right and helpful.  I always read these verses and thought, "Well, I wouldn't want to have weak faith!"  But--God desires to keep me weak so that he can be strong.  It's okay if we're sitting around the table with friends and I am honest with myself, God and others and say, "I will only be having the vegetables tonight."  Why?  BECAUSE I AM WEAK in this area.  And God accepts me, and He will be the one who will ultimately judge me.  I abstain from my weaknesses before HIM.  And I give thanks to HIM that He stands in my weakness and is my strength.


I am learning the foods I will need to avoid for the rest of my life.  There was a time when this notion would have made me so sad.  Not anymore.  Good-bye.  I am a better person in every way without those foods.  And God is sweeter this way.


I will either stand or fall before my Master...and I WILL STAND, because the Lord is able to make me stand.  GLORY!!!!