Choices and Outcomes
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31, NIV.
A simple diet pared of rich foods is the ideal for health of body, mind, and spirit.
Two examples: Sometime in 605 B.C. the Babylonians captured Daniel and took him to Babylon, where he had to make a decision about his diet.
And in A.D. 1635 an English farmer, Thomas Parr, whom King Charles I invited to live at his palace, also had to make a decision about diet.
A relative of the defeated Jewish monarch, Daniel, with other Hebrew captives, was placed in a three-year training program to prepare for Babylonian government service. As a specific benefit, Daniel and his companions were entitled to food from Nebuchanezzar's table.
Daniel, however, was determined to adhere to his customary dietary practices. He "resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine" (Dan. 1:8).
You know the story. After 10 days on a vegetarian diet and water, Daniel and his companions "looked healthier and better nourished" (verse 15) than any of the young men who ate the king's food.
According to the Scripture, Daniel became prime minister of the Baby lonian Empire, a towering example of what a man steadfast in his integrity can be.
The farmer, Thomas Parr, was allegedly 152 years old when he came to the attention of King Charles. Church and legal records appear to confirm that he was quite elderly.
Because Parr was such a lively fellow, such an amusing wit with endless stories to tell, King Charles had asked him to move into the royal palace in September 1635. As a member of the king's household, Thomas Parr abandoned the simple lifestyle that had sustained him for so many years and began enjoying the rich food and drink served during the king's four-hour banquets.
In November 1635, in the middle of one of the feasts, Parr toppled from his chair and died. An autopsy performed by the royal surgeon, William Harvey, decided that "acute indigestion brought on by indulgence in unaccustomed luxuries" had been the cause of death.
King Charles ordered Parr buried in Westminster Abbey, where today he lies, a self-indulgent curiosity, among England's kings and queens.
Two men. Two choices. Two outcomes.
When faced with a choice between what tastes good and what's good for you, which will you choose?
A simple diet pared of rich foods is the ideal for health of body, mind, and spirit.
Two examples: Sometime in 605 B.C. the Babylonians captured Daniel and took him to Babylon, where he had to make a decision about his diet.
And in A.D. 1635 an English farmer, Thomas Parr, whom King Charles I invited to live at his palace, also had to make a decision about diet.
A relative of the defeated Jewish monarch, Daniel, with other Hebrew captives, was placed in a three-year training program to prepare for Babylonian government service. As a specific benefit, Daniel and his companions were entitled to food from Nebuchanezzar's table.
Daniel, however, was determined to adhere to his customary dietary practices. He "resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine" (Dan. 1:8).
You know the story. After 10 days on a vegetarian diet and water, Daniel and his companions "looked healthier and better nourished" (verse 15) than any of the young men who ate the king's food.
According to the Scripture, Daniel became prime minister of the Baby lonian Empire, a towering example of what a man steadfast in his integrity can be.
The farmer, Thomas Parr, was allegedly 152 years old when he came to the attention of King Charles. Church and legal records appear to confirm that he was quite elderly.
Because Parr was such a lively fellow, such an amusing wit with endless stories to tell, King Charles had asked him to move into the royal palace in September 1635. As a member of the king's household, Thomas Parr abandoned the simple lifestyle that had sustained him for so many years and began enjoying the rich food and drink served during the king's four-hour banquets.
In November 1635, in the middle of one of the feasts, Parr toppled from his chair and died. An autopsy performed by the royal surgeon, William Harvey, decided that "acute indigestion brought on by indulgence in unaccustomed luxuries" had been the cause of death.
King Charles ordered Parr buried in Westminster Abbey, where today he lies, a self-indulgent curiosity, among England's kings and queens.
Two men. Two choices. Two outcomes.
When faced with a choice between what tastes good and what's good for you, which will you choose?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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