We are the Lord’s

Romans 14:5-9

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. – Romans 14:5-9

What ever we hold to we should be convinced in our own mind. Our faith is not a “blind faith”. God has given us rational minds so that we can understand things. The faith we are called to is to believe what God promises us. Trust in Him and His plans for us. Whether it is food or times of worship the issue is Christ should be preeminent. We give Him the honour is all things giving thanks in all situations:

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:16-17

No matter what God has in store for us we can be thankful. Even when we face death we will be raised from the dead and will live with Him for eternity. Whether we live or die we belong to Him. Jesus is Lord of all and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are the Lord’s, we belong to Him and He will never lose what is His.

In Philippians 1:19-26 Paul speaks about the issue of whether it is better to be alive on this earth or to be with the Lord in heaven. He concludes:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. – Philippians 1:21

For him to be with Christ is the most important part. Whether on this earth with Christ (which is better for the church) or in heaven with Christ (which would be better for Paul) either way Christ is glorified. Matthew Henry the commentator says:

We live to glorify him in all the actions and affairs of life; we die, whether a natural or a violent death, to glorify him, and to go to be glorified with him. Christ is the centre, in which all the lines of life and death do meet. This is true Christianity, which makes Christ all in all.

When we are the Lord’s and He is the centre of our life we can know will full assurance of faith that when we die we will be with Him in Glory. He died and rose again so we could share in His glory.

And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory – Colossians 3:4 (NLT)