Don't miss the point!

A great difficulty within mankind is we so often miss the point.  For instance, I have heard messages preached and seen books written upon the Jewish dietary law outlined in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  A common point made is God's wisdom of the law deemimg certain animals unclean, such as shellfish, anything in the sea without fins and scales, or mammals with a split hoof which do not chew the cud.  "God protected His people," some would point out, "by eliminating potentially hazardous foods such as pork, crustaceans, buzzards, and bats which are known to carry diseases and parasites."  This statement alone may be true:  however, I disagree with the premise.  I believe that by obedience to God's law His people were blessed and protected, not because of evidence pointing to certain animals being clean and others unclean.  God doesn't need science to validate His miraculous protection, but science certainly needs God!

Cows are clean under the law, yet many people to this day have been sickened through disease from beef.  Chicken is considered Kosher, but I myself have suffered from leftover chicken!  The fact remains that people in countries all over the world have eaten all manner of things living and dead, cooked or uncooked, for thousands of years without ill effect.  What was God's point at the end of laying out rules concerning diet? Leviticus 11:44-47 reads, "For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. [45] For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. [46] 'This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, [47] to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten."  The main point is God is holy and His people are to be consecrated unto Him.  Nothing God does is arbitrary, but in His wisdom He clearly defined rules what His people were to eat and what they were to avoid eating.  God desires his people to be consecrated to Him alone.  While some people made a god of their belly, God's people were to be consecrated and separate unto Him.  The same is true to this day.

It is God who makes a man holy from the inside.  A man can never be holy by the things he does, for there is nothing holy within him.  Jesus says in Matthew 15:10-11, "...Hear and understand: [11] Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  What the heart conceals the mouth reveals, and no amount of outer submission to rules will change a man's heart.  By God's grace only faith in Jesus Christ can do this.  Paul continues this line of thinking in 1 Cor. 10:25-26:  "Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake; [26] for "the earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness."  Anything which is sold in the market is fair game, Paul says.  This must have come at a shock to Jews who for their entire lives had carefully monitored the contents of every mouthful.  The MAIN point?  1 Cor. 10:31 sums it up:  "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

One of the maxims hammered home in my English classes throughout school was, "Keep the main thing the main thing."  It seems like Christians are pulled in every direction except the most meaningful, which is a closer walk with Jesus Christ.  It is a voluntary path we walk as believers and one that Satan will do everything in his power to distract, disillusion, and dissuade us from following Christ.  He lusts for glory but he will allow us a taste if it means Christ is robbed of honor.  When we honor and obey God, He will cause us to prosper.  This does not mean we will be rich in worldly wealth, be famous or popular, or even succeed in the eyes of others.  James 2:5 says, "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"  Let us decide to be consecrated unto God, fully trusting and pleasing Him.  Just because we think we understand God's plans doesn't mean we do.  His ways are past finding out!