How quickly the world changes; when I was a boy we bemoaned the fact that the great herds of bison were gone. Bison had become so rare I never saw one outside a zoo until we visited Yellowstone. It was a big deal to see one standing by the road. I say this because yesterday I bought a bag of dog food which had for its primary ingredient bison meat. She loved it. She scarfed it down so quickly I thought she had inhaled it. So much for all those cornmeal based foods.
When we lived in Africa the primary ingredient in dog food was elephant meat. One of our mission families had a little boy who loved the elephant meat. He would come home with elephant breath after sneaking over to the neighbor’s porch to gobble up the contents of the dog’s bowl.
What we eat and don’t eat is a fascinating topic. I have friends who are very omnivorous, while others are vegetarians and others vegans. In Leviticus God gave the children of Israel a list of eating dos and don’ts. Because He is the creator of our bodies He knows what is best for us. Unfortunately, instead of being health laws they turned them into religious taboos. And there are many people who still treat them as such. In Mark 7 Jesus addressed the issue by saying, “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” It is no wonder the leaders felt Jesus had to go. This was in direct conflict with centuries of belief.
For Jesus, how we speak and how we treat others is everything.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 20, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org