Justification or Glorification

“Just one won’t hurt.” I have been told this by good-willed people offering my children a sugar-filled snack. I’ve heard it expressed in line at a potluck by an adult standing over the dessert table. It’s uttered by teenagers to justify an adverse behavior, such as drinking a beer, smoking a cigarette or kissing someone. I hear it whispered in my mind. One scoop of ice cream, one small cookie, one slice of cake, one piece of bread. One won’t hurt.

You may be thinking, “What’s wrong with one piece of cake?” I’m not trying to be nitpicky; but, typically we don’t say it once. We repeat it later in the day or the next day. It becomes a pattern, a recurring thought. And for some, it’s a springboard to the next thought, “One more won’t hurt.”

Let’s renew our minds--think differently—approach food from a different perspective.


“If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptian, for I am the Lord, who heals you” (Ex. 15:26).

What enters our mouths affects our well-being. God gave us guidelines to protect us physically, mentally, and spiritually.



“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

Maybe one won’t hurt. But maybe that’s not the direction from which we should approach food. I’d rather be able to say, “Eating this will glorify God,” or “Eating this will help sustain and fuel my body.” Our actions, be they eating, speaking, or working, either help us or hurt us. They either bring us closer to God or draw us farther away from Him.

How do you approach food?