I only eat rice



Last week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday I ate only rice.  Sunday I had a steak for dinner because I was having someone over to watch football.  (I'm not inviting someone over and just eating rice!)  So I took that day off.  Then yesterday I started eating just rice again.  That steak after church on Sunday was really great.  I am normally not a big steak fan.  There's not enough flavor for me.  I like a hamburger with ketchup, pickles, mayo, tomato, onion, etc.  I like all the flavors.

A week ago I was listening to a podcast of John Weece's sermon (he is at Southland).  He talked about just eating rice to see how 2/3 of the world lives.  It has been quite an experience.  Life is a lot different when you don't have options as to what you will eat.  The stomach is not made for food.  Food is made for the stomach.  I didn't waste as much time as I normally do picking out what I'm going to eat.  My mind even had more time to think about things other than food.

I like it.  I think it has helped me understand that my life is really easy.  The things that I worry about are not as important as things most of the rest of the world is dealing with.

Eating only rice has helped me with discipline.  It gives me confidence.  It is teaching me that I am more than just a consumer.  I am more than an animal that must please his fleshly desires.  That sounds eerily familiar to the passage that I just preached about on Sunday.

Philippians 3:18-21 states, "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (emphasis mine)

"Their god is their stomach."  Is that what this verse means?  Does it mean that we should not put our time and energy into what we consume?  Instead we should put our time and energy on our citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Has eating rice helped me to see the Kingdom of Heaven?  Absolutely.  It is an discipline that I am following that is teaching me.  What have I learned about the Kingdom of Heaven so far?

-I am capable of so much more when I am not focused on my flesh-needs.
-Consumerism, money, and affluence have put a fog in my life that I need to see through to understand the life that God has created for me.
-Food is a gift from God.

Why did God create us to need food?  Probably to teach us about Him.

By the way - you should try it too.  I have been enjoying my stomach feeling better, my pants fitting better, and feeling like I am growing in my knowledge of God and of people I have never met.

Comments

ravi said…
preach it brotha. miss ya around here. your loving mentee
November 10, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Unknown said…
good stuff chief...Remember back in the day when we would go to sams club and eat hot dogs and pizza together
November 11, 2009 at 8:22 AM
Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
November 11, 2009 at 8:22 AM
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