We Belong To The Lord…

Romans 14:8 (NIV)

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Our Verse of the Day is tucked within a broader theological construct that Paul has provided with regard to “matters of conscience.” What Paul asserts is that issues of conduct outside of the laws and statutes of God, should be viewed as personal decisions which do not violate your own conscience. For example, Paul determined dietary regulations to be matter of conscience, but not a matter of salvation … or even a matter for passing judgment. The application was extended to the preference of a day sanctified or set apart for the purpose of worship. Paul asserts that those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor Him. Some esteem all days alike. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. So, what is the point of his message? I believe its underlying theme to be imperative for unity among believers. We should not let matters of personal conscience outside of the commandments of God divide us. In other words, we are to understand that from beginning to end, our life is connected to other lives. We were created for relationship! We are dependent upon one another as we live as members within the Body of Christ for the glory and honor of God. “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.”

Romans 14:1-23 (NIV)

¹ Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ²One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. ⁵One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” (Quoting Isaiah 45:23) ¹²So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. ¹³Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ¹⁴I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. ¹⁵If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶Therefore, do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. ¹⁹Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

²⁰Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. ²²So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

My friends, I feel prompted to remind us of our membership in the Body of Christ … as children of God (born of the Spirit) … created IN Christ Jesus … to be one with Him and the Father and the Holy Spirit. What Paul teaches here in Romans 14 is consistent with other epistles he has written:

Romans 12:4-5 (NIV)

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 (NIV)

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.

Ephesians 4:1-6 (NIV)

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Colossians 3:12-15 (NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

It is my prayer that these verses will remind you of your interdependence with all members of the Body of Christ. Embedded in the message is the call to live our lives for another in His Body … not to live out our faith in isolation. It is vital that we meet together … pray together … worship together … exercise our spiritual giftings together … to work toward the edification of all believers … so that we may be filled with all the fullness of God through Christ our Lord. As the inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews admonished: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day (of His Coming) drawing near. (Cf. Hebrews 10:23-25)

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ~ Philippians 2:1-5

Encourage One Another…

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

The other day we looked at some verses which emphasized how much influence and impact our words have on relationships. Indeed, “the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21) And James wrote: “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:6) I am amazed at how easily we allow words to produce so much damage, however unintended, to our relationships with one another. As James also observed, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” (James 3:10)

Knowing the power of words (which are the expressions of the thoughts of our hearts) as well as the weakness of our ability to tame the tongue, we need to strive and make every effort to guard our mouths and our tongues. Solomon advised: “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” (Proverbs 21:23) Another translation of this verse reads: “The one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” And so, I believe we would be wise to heed these instructions in order to accomplish what Paul urges us to do in our relationships; namely, to encourage one another and build each other up. If we would put more attention on appreciating what others do right rather than dwelling on where they fall short, there would be less hurt inflicted within our relationships….

1 Thessalonians 5:9-18 (NIV)

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters to warn those who are idle and disruptive; encourage the disheartened; help those who are weak; and be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

There is an acronym that reads:

Think Before You Speak!

T – Is it True?

H – Is it Helpful?

I – Is it Inspiring?

N – Is it Necessary?

K – Is it Kind?

I pray that we will remember to engage our filters and to think before we speak. Like toothpaste, once the words come out of our mouths, we cannot put them back in the tube.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:29-32

Making Plans…

Proverbs 14:22 (NIV)

Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.

A contrast of actions is developed in our Verse of the Day. It speaks to the motives of our hearts … or as Scripture would say – the inclination of the thoughts of our hearts when we are making plans in life. When we evaluate our thought processes before an action is taken, there are some generally predictable outcomes associated with them. And with concise precision, King Solomon looks at those outcomes before we ever engage the mental strategies we have formulated with good or evil intentions.

Those who plot evil … those who strategize their actions and make their plans with evil intent … are people who have gone astray. They are in rebellion against God and His will. They are not motivated by love. Love does no harm to a neighbor! Those who devise evil schemes are opposed to God as well as against other people. They are not walking in love; rather, they are in rebellion. As John wrote, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (Cf. 1 John 4:20)

But those who seek good for others … those who are concerned about others and put their needs before their own … these are the ones who plan what is good! They delight in what will edify and build up another person. They seek to be an encourager of faith through the example of love. As Paul urged, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Cf. Philippians 2:3-4) In doing so, we will find love and faithfulness in our hearts.

Proverbs 21:29-30 (NIV)

The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. The Lord has made everything for His own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. ~ Proverbs 16:1-6