Tag Archives: Honour the Lord

ROMANS…FOUNDATION OR FELLOWSHIP – 23

Bible Study, ,

Faith is also about what we do about essentials and non-essentials. 

There are truths in the gospel we must cling to because our faith needs the solid foundation upon which we stand and which makes the difference between life and death. Our foundation is Jesus and His work on earth for us, from beginning to end. This is non-negotiable. 

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are also practices we engage in that don’t affect the foundation of our faith but do affect our fellowship with other believers. Paul addresses these non-essentials in the next section. These considerations were mostly cultural in Paul’s day but have their counterpart in our day. 

In Paul’s day, a big issue for God’s children in a pagan society was idolatry. How were God’s people to navigate life in which pagan sacrifices dominated everything, including shopping for their daily food? Paul said, in broad terms, that idols were nothing. Eating meat offered to idols had no impact on Christians except…and here was the catch…how it affected what they believed and, subsequently, how they treated one another. 

Here’s how it worked. If some Christians believed that eating meat offered to idols was wrong…to do so would offend their conscience. If others, who had no such scruples, ate so-called “contaminated” meat in their presence, the sensitive ones would be offended. So, Paul counselled, it would be unloving of a brother or sister, who had no issues with eating meat offered to idols, to do so in the presence of someone with a more sensitive conscience. 

Which is more important…to protect love and preserve peace…or to insist on one’s own rights? The answer, for the sake of fellowship, is obvious. Eating or not eating meat offered to idols does not affect one’s salvation but it does affect the harmony among believers in the body of Christ. 

Similarly, there are traditions that form part of our belief system, for example, the celebration of Christmas and Easter with the pagan beliefs and practices that have crept in over many centuries. Some people cling to these practices as a part of their faith in Jesus. Others recognise their pagan origins and refuse to participate in pagan celebrations…sometimes even making such a big thing of it that it becomes a contentious issue between believers. 

“In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. 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. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭5‬-‭6‬, ‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul says “Wait a minute! Take a step back and look at the bigger picture.” In a letter to the Corinthian church, he had

written…

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is not about the nitty-gritty of what you do or don’t do. It’s about serving the Lord in whatever you do or don’t do. If Jesus is your Lord, your supreme authority, do whatever you do in a way that honours Him. We honour Him best when we waive our rights out of love for others. We dishonour Him when we fight for our rights at the expense of loving others. 

These are day-to-day issues that don’t affect our salvation but they do affect what our salvation should produce…a loving, serving body of people who honour Jesus by honouring one another. 

To be continued

FOUNDATION STONES – 9

Christian Life,

HONOUR THE LORD

Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV
[9] “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; [10] then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Here is a principle that is equally as fundamental as the ones we have already set into the foundation of our lives.

However, we may not realise how important this is to us as it is to God because we don’t always recognise the power of the one we serve.

You see, what we do with our money is THE basic test of our attitude towards God and to our material possessions. If money drives the world and the love of money is the root of all evil, then we have a serious decision to make regarding our attitude to and our use of our money.

Jesus put His finger on the real, heart issue…not, you will love whom you serve but, you will serve whom you love!

Matthew 6:24 NIV
[24] “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Can you see the subtle difference?

Jesus pointed out that it is impossible to serve two masters who have opposing values. God is a good Father who meets all our needs as we obey and trust Him. Mammon uses money as the tool to drive our motives and actions through greed. God or Mammon, the choice we make depends on the one we love because of whose values are more important to us.

The answer to our decision depends on to whom we give our allegiance. If we love God, money and possessions will be our servants. If we love money, money will be our master and we will be the slaves of money.

When we love God, it will be our delight to honour Him with our wealth because, after all He is the source of our resources.

Thinking that is directed by His Word will lead us to living that is according to His Word. Together with our obedience to His instructions come the benefits and blessing of His promises.

Jesus reiterated the same principle in His instruction to His disciples about living in God’s kingdom.

When we love God and trust Him implicitly because He knows our needs before we ask Him…

Matthew 6:31-33 NLT
[31] “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ [32] These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. [33] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

…we will live carefree in the care of God.

All the burden of having to strive to gain wealth, or wheel and deal at the expense of others, is lifted from us. We can gladly share our bounty with those in need because we shift the responsibility of our care from our shoulders to God’s.

God’s economic system, like many of His ways, is opposite to the world’s system. In the world, we work for gain or profit. We invest for interest at a limited percentage. We lend our money to make it grow.

How different in God’s way of doing things! We sow to reap. We share to multiply. We give to create the current that comes back to us. Let’s examine a few of the ways in which God blesses and multiplies our resources when we are generous.

Psalms 33:18-19 NLT
[18] “But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. [19] He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.”

Psalms 37:21 NLT
[21] “The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.”…

Psalms 37:25-26 NLT
[25] “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. [26] The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.”

The Apostle Paul gives us the clearest picture of how to use our money as a servant.

Giving is an act of love to God.

2 Corinthians 8:8 NLT
[8]”I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.”

God desires equality, not taking from us through taxes but encouraging us to give from our bounty and receive when we have need.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15 NLT
[13] “Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. [14] Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. [15] As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”

Giving is planting seed. Your harvest depends on the amount of seed you plant.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT
[6] Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. [7] You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

Planting for a harvest meets your needs and provides for the needs of others.

2 Corinthians 9:8-9 NLT
[8] “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. [9] As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

God is the source of our seed. He has two purposes in mind.

2 Corinthians 9:10 NLT
[10] “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

The way we use our money to help others has spiritual benefits.

2 Corinthians 9:12-14 NLT
[12]”So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. [13] As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. [14] And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.”

So, God’s economic policy, the way of giving and receiving, creates a current that gives everyone an opportunity to share in God’s bounty. This way of doing money frees us from greed. It is a vivid reminder of God’s gift of salvation. He gave us His Son. We share His gift with others and the harvest of precious souls for Jesus grows and grows.

2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT
[15] “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

When we build this stone into the foundation of our lives, we have the assurance that God will always provide for us, no matter what happens in the economy of our country.