Daily Devotions
Life Is More Than Food
Title: Life Is More Than Food
Reading for April 13: 1 Kings 10-12
Weekly reading for April 8-14: Luke 10-14
And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For the life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing."
Luke 12:22-23
An unbelievable amount of money is spent each year in America on food. According to a Gallup survey taken in 2012, the average American spends $151 per week on food. That's a considerable amount spent on food, however when you consider what we spend as a percentage of our income, the amount is not that great.
Consider the original audience who first heard these words from Jesus. It is possible that some of them spent at least half of their income on food. The anxiety they had over food was more likely the fear of not having enough food to eat. If they went without work for very long at all, there was a real and significant chance that they would go hungry.
Our anxiety over food is quite different. Few, if any, of us fear not having enough food. We worry about consuming too much. But that does not mean that Jesus' words lack application in our lives. We too need to be reminded that life is more than food, and excessive worry over food (though of a different sort) can distort our perception of what is truly important in life.
Father, teach us to see food as a blessing from your hand to be used for your eternal purposes. May we see food as something that strengthens our bodies for service. May we also see the abundance we have as an opportunity. Give us a heart to share our food with others.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/156416/americans-spend-151-week-food-high-income-180.aspx
