Thanksgiving Frees Us

 2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. (1 Tim. 4)

Thoughts:  The scripture here is speaking of a freedom that is given with thanksgiving- specifically thanking God over food.  When we thank God for our food, we are blessing it, asking God to make it clean and good for us to eat.  
    I have known people who will not eat many types of food out of fear for their health.  Certainly this passage is not saying that diabetics can eat all the sugar they want as long as they bless it.  Nor is it saying to eat all the transfats or poison and all will be okay. 
     God made everything- and He made it good.  But we can take good things and misuse them. Mercury may be good for cleaning silver,or tanning leather but it is not good to eat.  
      This writer is not talking about all foods, but foods that have been forbidden religiously- food offered to pagan idols and then sold in the meat market; and plants/animals forbidden to be eaten under Jewish law.  
      Thanksgiving frees us to eat.  It frees the germaphobe from being afraid of germs.  It frees the anorexic or bulimic- because if we are thankful for our lives and how we look- we are not upset about what we eat or that we eat at all.  Thanksgiving releases negative feelings and frees us to enjoy life.
     But more than just affecting our thinking, it involves God Himself in the regular call of eating.  We are asking God to be present and to bless the food so we may be a blessing to Him.  Thankfulness to God frees us from ourselves.  It recognizes that what we have is not simply from our work, but it involves God's gift and God's blessing.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to live a thankful life.  Thank you for your provision for me- food, body, time, family, and friends.  

Lord make us truly thankful for these and all your many blessings.  Bless this food to our use and us to your service.  Make us mindful of the needs of others.  In Christ's name, amen.  

Norman Rockwell "saying grace"