OUR LIVES ARE NOT ABOUT FOOD AND DRINK
S - For the Kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men" Romans 14:17-18
O - Eating and drinking are a joy and one of the most wonderful ways in life to celebrate and connect with people.
As you sit with someone over a meal, you seem to be better able to share and experience real intimacy. It truly is a joy. However, here, Paul has been writing in the context of individual deeply held beliefs about abstaining from certain foods which may be clean or unclean to the person you are with. He is not saying that food and drink in and of themselves is bad, they are not, but he is saying that for some people, the eating or drinking of certain foods and liquids may offend a person's deeply held held belief. In this case, we should be careful what we eat or drink in front of others. He then goes on to say, that in God's Kingdom, eating and drinking is secondary to righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
A - Wow! These thoughts are so revolutionary, as today we live in a world saturated and almost obsessed with food and wine. In many ways these have become symbols of sophistication, wealth and prestige. I was with some refugees this week, and they find it hard to not pray for "daily bread" every day in a real way. Their friend said, "You don't have to pray for this here in Australia". They have learned to live in extreme faith. Our abundance has caused us to lose sight of the important things in the Kingdom of God. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
P - Dear Lord Jesus, help us as Western Christians to understand, that although we have so much, we also have so little. Help us to truly honour the important things in life, the things of the Spirit. Help us also to be more generous and to give more our of the abundance we have. Amen.
Daily Readings from Romans Chapters 14-15
Hi, I'm looking for a Church in the Wodonga area to join. I'm rather hoping the Baptist Church does NOT Speak in Tongues! I'm Not in agreement with Tongues as either a concept nor a biblical truth!!
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for commenting. We are a church that is open to all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Whilst many of our members do not speak in tongues and might feel uncomfortable with someone speaking in tongues, we have many people who have the gift and use it largely in their personal prayer and we are comfortable with this. It is not currently a part of our public life together.
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