The Inner Life

one who would live a spiritual life, as God wants us to live, in the following memorable words:

“Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink. . . . is not the life of more value than the food?” —Mat. 6:25.

“My food is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to accomplish His work.” —John 4:34.

“Labor not for the food which perisheth, but for that food which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you.” —John 6:27.

“Except ye eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of His blood, ye have not life in yourselves. He that eateth of My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last days.” —John 6:53.

“Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the Man. —Mat. 14:11.

HAVING given you the Bible’s authority on the subject, we will now consider it from several other viewpoints, in order to counteract some ideas that not only are misleading, but in many cases are actually harmful to the well-being of over-zealous students who believe, by refraining from eating meat, that they are not taking or encouraging the taking the life of their younger brothers, the animals.

Please do not think we have anything but praise for those earnest ones who in the unfolding of the spirit of love in their hearts seek only to please God, believing He does not want them to take the life of any creature that is expressing His life. But in view of God’s definite words in Genesis and Leviticus, giving man permission to eat the herbs of the fields, the fruit of the trees or vines, and the flesh of certain animals, fish and fowls, are you going to accept man’s words as more authoritative than His? Besides, if God’s life is in vegetable forms of life as well as in animals, are not vegetables also our younger brothers?

Do not doubt that you will be given credit for all these loving efforts to please your Father God, because of this motive in your hearts; only you must be sure there is nothing of self in your