Monday, March 15
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians today cuts right to my heart. I am a vegetarian, and I follow a certain code of rules similar to the Corinthians. I abstain from eating meat. Paul’s words make me question whether my practice of abstaining from meat is, in fact, idolatrous. Of course, I know that Corinthians were recent converts to Christianity who continued to follow strict rules and rituals established by their rabbis concerning the preparation of meat. Paul was writing to remind them that the only rule that matters – the only thing we have to live by – is Jesus Christ. Before, the Jews had to earn God’s grace by cleansing themselves through sacrifice and ritual. Now, Jesus freely gives us grace – he showers it on us!
Just like the Corinthians, I know I am still learning what it means to live in that freedom of grace that Jesus offers me. We are all tempted by idolatry. I consciously live by a code of vegetarianism, but all of us certainly live by some kind of code, either conscious or unconscious, that attempts to reduce God to something we can control. Today’s text is a reminder that God does not judge us based on what rules, steps, diets, or exercise regiments we follow. Rather, He wants us to enjoy the abundance of His creation, to live in the fullness of His glory, and to let go of our fears and anxieties about doing things the ‘right’ way. Jesus has taken care of all that, and all we have to do is follow Him. The only way we can go wrong, in fact, is to keep others from living into God’s glory themselves. This is our only constraint, to put others before ourselves as Jesus did. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,” Paul tells us, “do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Sarah Taylor