Being Mastered

Scripture Reading: Romans 14:1-8

1 Corinthians 6:12 AMP “Everything is permissible(allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful(good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.”

What masters you? I’m easily mastered. Unfortunately it isn’t always by the only One who has a right to master me. That One is, of course, my Lord and Savior. The Greek word translated “Lord” is Kyrios. It means master of something, thus having absolute authority over it; as the object after verbs of rejoicing, trusting; through His aid and influence, by His help. So, we’re mastered by what we trust, by what influences us, by what we turn to for aid.

God has been so kind in allowing all food to be permissible. But it isn’t all beneficial. It isn’t as much about what we eat as about when and why. Anything we eat when we are not hungry isn’t beneficial. When I think of something that isn’t beneficial, I think of something that has a negative effect. Paul takes it a step further by saying he won’t be mastered by anything; he won’t become a slave of anything or be brought under its power.

When it comes to food, I’ve been mastered at each extreme. I’ve trusted food to meet a need that only God can meet. I’ve turned to it to aid me in procrastination. And I’ve been influenced by it to the point that I have felt powerless to resist food that I wanted even when I knew my body didn’t need food at all. I’ve also been consumed with the latest research on nutrition. I’ve spent far too much time planning what I would or wouldn’t eat.

God created our bodies perfectly. He knows our needs….He even knows our wants…and He wants only what is best for us. That’s why He alone is worthy to master us. He alone is worthy to be trusted, to be the One who influences us, to be the One from whom we seek aid. I would never say out loud that I love or trust food more than I love or trust God. Yet, when I eat for any reason other than physical hunger, that is what my actions say. We can trust God with everything, including our eating. When we look to Him to meet all our needs, He always meets them in the best way possible.