Everything in life is determined by one’s relationship with Jesus

Romans 14:5-6 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. If we are to live to love with Jesus, we must view all of life from His worldview. For myself, I’ve outlined 3 foundational truths by which Jesus lived His life while on the earth and today as He lives in us. 1. There’s only one God, My father, from whom are all things, and He is love. 2. The love of my Father is enough. He satisfies the desires of My soul. 3. My Father’s purpose in all things is to reveal Himself in Me for His glory in eternity. These are all supported very clearly in the Scriptures and if you want to investigate these points more, you can do so in Live to Love: Experience Freedom and Joy in Relationships available at www.livetolovewithjesus.com. The resources are free. When we consider these three foundational truths from our perspective, they can be said like this: 1. There’s only one God, our Father, from whom are all things, and He is love. 2. Jesus’ love is enough. He satisfies the desires of my soul. 3. God’s purpose in all things is to reveal His Son in me and prepare me for eternity. The reason I mention these three truths is that they are inherent in what Paul wrote in these two verses. Why do the ones who either do or don’t observe certain days or the ones who eat or don’t eat meat give thanks to God? It’s because they believe everything comes from God who loves them. Paul admonished each one to be fully convinced in his own mind as to what he’s to do to please Jesus, His Lord. Why is this important? Because every believer is to be most satisfied in the will of the Lord, receiving and doing what pleases Him. Everything in life is determined by their relationship with Jesus. Everyone also does what they do “for the Lord.” This means that they recognize whatever the issue is, their purpose in life is to reveal Christ, the Lord, and make His name great, not only in this life, but on that Great Day when Jesus is revealed in glory. Do you give thanks to God for what He has provided you to eat or do you just eat it without thanksgiving? Apparently, among the early believers, food on the table was never taken for granted and God was not despised when they put food in their mouths, regardless of whether it was meat or vegetables. The issue here is faith. What do you believe? Paul was encouraging them to love each other because their faith in God was the same. They all looked to God as the provider of their food and all of life. When we live to love with Jesus, we have this same attitude toward whatever happens in our lives. We live with Jesus, and we live for Him. If we believe in Him then everything is about Him—even down to what days we celebrate and what food we eat. We treasure Jesus more than life itself. Through His love, we love one another. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com