A lot of people would call getting paid to eat a dream job, and in Korea you can do just that. Mukbang is a hot new trend that lets viewers tune in to watch strangers binge eat on a webcast. The top-ranked mukbang stars earn up to $10,000 a month, not including food and drink sponsorships, according to npr.org.
This new fad may seem funny and harmless, but it brings to light a sin that is often hidden in the dark: gluttony, or “overindulgence to the point where one is no longer eating just to live,” according to vocabulary.com.
More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to frac.org. Why? It’s simple. We’re eating more calories than we need to live.
Unfortunately, this statistic is not any better when we focus in on the church population in America. In fact, it’s worse.
A 2006 Purdue study found that fundamental Christians are the heaviest of all religious groups, led by the Baptists with a 30 percent obesity rate (maybe it’s all those
potluck casseroles), compared with Jews at 1 percent, and Buddhists and Hindus at 0.7 percent. Furthermore, a 2011 Northwestern University study tracked 3,433 men and women for 18 years and found that young adults who attend church or Bible study once a week were 50 percent more likely to be obese.
These statistics do not mean that going to church or Bible study will lead to weight gain. However, these statistics do suggest that many Christians may not be considering how their eating choices reflect on Christ.
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Furthermore, I Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Based on these two verses, all of our actions from small, mundane actions like eating, to big, extraordinary actions like sharing the Gospel with someone, should be done in a way that gives glory to God and that points others to God.
While Christians have a variety of body types, they should all have a similar relationship to food. Proverbs 25:16 tells us to eat only until we are full, lest we vomit. Thus, we should eat until our natural hunger is satisfied and be done. It’s that simple.
If, on the other hand, we choose to gorge on food, we are demonstrating both a lack of control and a lack of care for our bodies, which God calls “temples of the Holy Spirit” in 1 Corinthians 6:19. This is not a good testimony.
In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul says he will not be enslaved by anything—including certain foods or drinks. He wants only one master: Jesus.
Like Paul, Christians today need only one master. And it’s not food. It’s God.
We must not become slaves to food, but slaves to God. For He is our Master and will help and care for us, while excessive food is just a thing that will sit in our bodies.
So while you may enjoy a chocolate bunny this Easter Sunday, remember not to let the festive treats have power over you. Instead, let God rule over you, for He knows your burdens and will ensure that you are always provided for.