Processed?

The news carried a ‘hard to swallow’ story this week. Apparently it has been discovered that eating too much processed meat shortens your life, and increases the risk of contracting diabetes, cancer and heart disease, as well as a list of others. A well paid group of academics are telling us what we already know, and the study has cost a lot of money. Will this stop me having my occasional ‘Full Scottish Breakfast’? I don’t think so, but then I don’t eat a lot of processed meats, except for the odd filled roll. Will the report make you change your eating habits?

However, this report actually said that good unadulterated red meat, is not bad for you, and there is no evidence that it would be a health risk or shorten your life through disease. Sorry my vegetarian friends, but it seems that red meat is ok after all!

The application to our Christian life is clear. Stay with the base gift of God. In its pure form, the gospel of Jesus Christ is good for you, and will add to your quality of life greatly. No doubt, and no question. My thought is that we have been guilty of becoming ‘processed Christians’, picking up bad habits and theology along the way, and yes even enjoying it! The base is good (remember the time you got saved?) but we have picked up some bad ‘christianity’ (small’c’) habits along the way, like questionable humour, inappropriate language and behaviour, gossipping, loose and insensitive talk, and the list could go on. Thankfully, Jesus is very patient with us, even Paul had some trouble with ‘processed christians’ in the church at Corinth. It’s the word ‘but’ in the verse that hits me, which suggests they should have known better, and so should we, my brothers and sisters in Christ! Let’s avoid adding the processed stuff. Just saying!

… nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say – but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’– but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:10-12 NIV