Author Glen Allport writes that love and freedom intertwine in human life…that each are connected parts of a whole, requiring one another. A lack of love, he says, harms freedom, and without freedom, love withers and dies.

If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

I Corinthians 10:30

Corinthian Christians were struggling. Some came from Jewish roots where the law dictated the orders of daily life, including what they ate and drank. Others coming out of paganism couldn’t understand the dietary restrictions being placed on them by their fellow believers. In our modern society, some consider themselves vegetarians, others cling to an “organic only” regime, and there are those who refuse meat from livestock not humanely slaughtered. The Bible says to do what is right for you, but don’t vilify your neighbors if their choices are different. At the same time, you should never intestinally offend their sensibilities.

Bottom line – be thankful for whatever you consume, from your plate or from one lovingly offered to you. Be grateful, too, that America is still bountiful! Do your part to provide for the needy, and intercede for your nation’s leaders…that they would know “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” (I Corinthians 10:26)

Recommended Reading: I Corinthians 10:23-33