Monday, October 31, 2005

to eat or not to eat


Yesterday I read Romans 14, a very interesting chapter about matters of conscience. It talks about accepting weaker believers and not causing them to stumble. It says we shouldn't judge each other, but should each conduct ourselves according to what we believe to be right. But it also says, if what we believe to be right looks like sin to our weaker brother, we should choose love over our own freedom. In everything we should pursue peace and build each other up.

Not so easy to do, is it? Sometimes living the Christian life feels like walking a tightrope. And one thing's for sure: pleasing everyone all the time is impossible. When people around us disagree on what's right, what are we supposed to do?

Verses 7 & 8 explain that we don't live for ourselves, we live for the Lord. And that fact should dictate our choices. Oh, and guess what comes right before that? Here are verses 5 & 6:

"One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man 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."

Today is Halloween. Some Christians will dress up in costumes today and go trick-or-treating. Some will attend "Harvest Festivals" or theme parties. Some will hold prayer meetings to pray against the occult. Some will stay home and treat the day like any other day.

What do you suppose God will do today? Probably what He does every day. He'll love and discipline His children not based on their outward appearance, but on their hearts.

Halloween is a holiday that can cause lots of tension between Christians. I think it's good to discuss our views and why we hold them, but we should keep in mind that we're each accountable to God. I'm not your judge, and you're not mine. The important thing is, whatever we do today, we should do it as unto the Lord and with a heart full of thanks to Him.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i realize i'm a complete stranger... i was actually searching Google for pix of candy corn... but imagine how awesome it was to find a pic of candy corn on a christian's blog!! very awesome. that blog was an inspiring one, pretty much.
so i wanted to let you know i appreciate that.
may God bless your day...

NandL said...

Haha, that's a 'ditto' for me. I live in Japan and am searching for pics to show the little kids about Halloween. So I googled 'candy corn'. That's an awesome pic, by the way. And an even better blog! Keep up the Good work! May God bless the work you are doing!
jpnlvr...

NandL said...

Looks like I accidentally hit the resubmit button or something. :( So I'll repost...
(about what the previous poster said) That's a 'ditto' for me. I live in Japan and was searching for some pics of Halloween to show the little kids. So I googled 'candy corn'. That's an awesome pic, by the way. And an even better blog! Keep up the Good work. And my God bless the work you are doing!
jpnlvr...