1 Corinthians 10:31 AMP
[31] So then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of [our great] God.
The letter of Paul to the church in Corinth was addressed to the church of God, to those classed as them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, along with every other person on the face of the earth who call upon the name of Jesus Christ. Knowing who you are is critical to the pursuit of the vision and mission that have been laid out above. Reflect on this: If I do not know who I am, how can I know what has been made available for me? If I cannot sort out my ownership, how can I bear true allegiance to something of earthly and eternal value? Reflect also on the fact that the inner always defines the outward. Until the inner man is in place, there is really no standard that can be demanded from someone who is still under the control and influence of the old nature. Who are you? Whose are you? What is the state of your inner man? Sanctified, or still under the yoke and bondage of sin?
When the spiritual man is in place, there are some arguments you do not need to make. A man who is sanctified is purified from within, and the power on the inside will definitely be seen and felt on the outside. If I find myself still arguing about anything and everything related to the demands of the spiritual life, it means that I am not yet fully submitted to the Spirit of God. One major area that I need to be careful about is the area of food and drink, which is something we all need to do at intervals in our lives, in order to remain alive and healthy. Even the devil understood the power of food and drink when he came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness after Jesus had just finished fasting for 40 days and nights. I have to learn the place and power of the things I permit to get into me, and I must watch my life closely, so that the things that are temporary will not deprive me of that which is permanent.
Food and drink are good, but they cannot be the ultimate decider of what is truly important in my life. Food and drink will be processed by my body, helping to keep parts functioning well, while some will pass out of my body as waste. I must keep my heart and eyes on that which is bigger, deeper and higher than the temporary satisfaction a full stomach gives. Physical food and drink must continually be taken to preserve human life; spiritual food must also continually be taken to preserve the spiritual life. That is what the verse above enjoins us to do: do all to the glory of God. If you have ever experienced the power and glory of God, you know there are no close substitutes. Isaiah saw it; Moses lived it; Daniel experienced it, and till today, their lives are examples of men who did all they did in light of eternity. I have to live the same way; my eternity depends on it. God's time of favour is here.
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