Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Here is something from a pastor that you don’t hear every day. Eat, drink, and be merry. Make memories, go on adventures, romance and make love to your spouse. Goof off, have fun, stay up late, sleep in, and binge watch your favorite show. Enjoy the Super Bowl with good food, a nice wine or a stout mug of ale. And know that in all of this you will be glorying God. 

What? 

Yes, what you just read is absolutely true, biblical, and comes from the heart of God. 

A man far wiser than this same thing, three times in his book of the Bible called Ecclesiastes…

“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” 

This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat; to drink during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 

So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
 

Okay, but how does eating and drinking and enjoying glorify God? 

Please read this next part carefully and take the time to comprehend it. It is deep and it has the potential to bring a powerful freedom to your life. 

You see the Bible teaches us that the glory of God is His goodness. So, we glorify God the most when we enjoy His goodness. And since His goodness is expressed and made manifest to us in His creation, when we enjoy the fruit of the vine, the food that we eat, and the romance, entertainment, and art in our world, God is glorified. Selah. Chew on that for a moment. Maybe reread it or draw it out as an equation or something.

Just in case this is still hard to swallow, another man far wiser than I says it this way in his book of the Bible called 1 Timothy…

Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God’s Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy.

 This is amazing. Everything God created is good. Wow! It is like a dad who builds an awesome fort for his kids. He will receive immense joy watching his kids enjoy it. God feels the same way. 

Now for the caveat. In all of your enjoying, don’t let anything in creation or any enjoyment of creation become more important to you than Jesus. When that happens, you are no longer glorifying God. At that moment, you are putting the creation or the enjoyment of creation in the place of God. This will throw everything in your life out of whack, off kilter, and on tilt.

So, this weekend, eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy friends while rooting for the Eagles. ☺ And join us Sunday morning as we learn more about how we can increase our enjoyment in life while glorifying God.

David