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Be Happy!

There is Only One Way to Achieve Happiness

PREVIEW: Everybody wants to be happy! You do, and so do I. So how do we find true and lasting happiness? Well, the Psalms — which, may I remind you, is God’s inerrant, authoritative, eternal Word — tell us that happiness comes by completely, deliberately, and consistently ordering our life according to the full counsel of the Holy Scripture. Not just a favorite verse here and there, mind you, or a Bible reading when it strikes the fancy, but through a “day and night” absorption of the whole “law of God.” Furthermore, true blessedness and lasting joy come by completely, deliberately, and consistently rejecting the humanistic definition of and path to happiness. The Psalmist calls for a complete ordering of our life around the Word of God — “meditating on it day and night.” That is truly what will produce the joyful, blessed, and happy life!

Psalm 1 with Ray Noah - The Attainment of Happiness

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 1:1-2

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night

Every human being who has ever walked this planet has this in common: The desire to be happy. In fact, our most revered national document, the Declaration of Independence, proclaims that the pursuit of happiness is our unalienable right, universally endowed by the Creator himself.

Now we can pursue happiness until we are blue in the face, and most of us do, but there is just one way we will ever attain it: By following God’s “roadmap.” The Psalmist called that roadmap “the law of the Lord.” Today, we call it the Bible.

In this opening song from the songbook of the human race, the Psalms, we are told that happiness comes by completely, deliberately, and consistently ordering our life according to the full counsel of God’s Word. Not just a favorite verse here and there, mind you, or a Bible reading when it strikes the fancy, but through a “day and night” absorption of the whole “law of God.” Furthermore, true blessedness and lasting joy come by completely, deliberately, and consistently rejecting the humanistic definition of and path to happiness.

In Psalm 1, the Psalmist calls for a complete ordering of our life around the Word of God — “meditating on it day and night.” So here is the most important question you will be asked today: Are you? Are you reading God’s Word regularly, and not just reading it, but absorbing it? Are you not just absorbing it, but are you figuring out ways to apply it to your daily life — your thinking, your situations, your responses, your decisions, and your planning?

May I suggest that before you do anything else — read the headlines, surf your social media platforms, check your email, or have coffee with your posse, which is the modern equivalent of “WALK in step with the wicked or STAND in the way that sinners take or SIT in the company of mockers” (NIV) with anyone else before you get counsel from God — that you carve out time and then ruthlessly guard that time to read, absorb and apply God’s Word. And then discipline yourself to bring what you have read back to mind at various parts of the day to make sure your thoughts, actions, interactions, responses, and accomplishments have been true to the plumbline of God’s Word.

By the way, when “meditating day and night” on Scripture becomes the “organic” practice of your life, the discipline of daily Bible reading will have turned into the delight of practicing the presence of God. And when you practice the presence of God, you will experience the presence of God. That is truly what the joyful, blessed, and happy life is all about.

My Offering of Worship: Set an appointment with God on your calendar — literally — to read and reflect on his Word. Add it to whatever type of calendar you use, then ruthlessly keep it. Set it for the first thing in the morning (before you read the news, use social media, make your to-do list, etc.) or for the last thing you do before you go to sleep. Or do both. I would recommend the first since it centers you on the Word and will of God at the very first part of your day. I would also recommend you join me in reading through the Book of Psalms.

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Psalms: A Journey of Worship

You Were Made to Praise — So Don’t Neglect Your Reason for Being

DEAR READER: I invite you to join me for the rest of 2023 on a journey of worship. And the book of Psalms will be our guide. Psalms, the songbook for the human race, expresses worship like no other. Throughout its many pages, Psalms encourages its readers to praise God for who he is and what he has done. It describes the greatness of our God and affirms his faithfulness to us not only in times of blessing, comfort, and ease but also in times of trouble, heartbreak, and seeming defeat. And at the end of the day, whether in the valley or on the mountaintop, the Psalms remind us of the absolute certainty and necessary centrality of worship in our lives. So, let’s journey together through these 150 psalms. I will post devotional blogs each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday … and I hope they will be a tremendous blessing to you on your journey of worship. In today’s devotional, to give you a preview of the kinds of devotionals to come, I have skipped way ahead to Psalm 139 and have written on, in my opinion, one of the most encouraging and comforting verses in the entire Bible, verse 16. Then on Monday, we will start with Psalm 1 and begin our journey until it concludes with Psalm 150.

Psalms: A Journey of Worship with Ray Noah

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 139:16

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How many days do I have left? I don’t know. No one does except God. He knows the exact number of years, days, and hours — even right down to the final second — that I will occupy my address on Planet Earth, the exact moment that my death will occur.

Now that may not seem like a cheery thought to you, and in fact, most people would find that sobering at best and frightening at worst. Not me. I find great comfort and security in knowing that God has my life so ordered that I will neither die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what has already been recorded in his book. You see, life and death are far above my pay grade, so I will happily let Father God take care of that department, thank you very much.

So, if I truly and correctly understand this profound truth, then I am set free from the fear of death to fully live the life that God has planned for me. So, what does that me for you and me?

We can enjoy an intimate walk with the One who is intimately involved in each minor detail of every single day we have lived — and will live:

You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too — your reassuring presence, coming and going. (Psalm 139:1-4)

We can rest assured that we are never out of his sight, and, in fact, he is guiding our every move:

Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit, to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, you’d find me in a minute — you’re already there waiting! (Psalm 139:5-10),

We can know with confidence that our Heavenly Father is not limited by our circumstances:

Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light! It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. (Psalm 139:11-12).

In fact, God is so involved in our lives that he was even there at the very moment our mother and father conceived us, and that he superintended even the most infinitesimal details my physiological and temperamental formation:

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God — you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration — what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you. (Psalm 139:13-16)

Yes, we can relax, knowing that God sees us, knows us, guides us, and continually cares for us:

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong — then guide me on the road to eternal life. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Wow! God knows everything about you and me. He planned us, built us, watches over us, can steer us back on track when we wander from his purpose, can be completely trusted to keep us safe until our sovereignly allotted number of days ordained for us are up, and then will take us to the next life that he has prepared for us for all eternity.

The psalmist was spot on in summing up this marvelous and loving Heavenly Father’s perfect oversight of our lives:

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand. (Psalm 139:6, NLT)

Yet even if we can’t quite wrap our minds around such knowledge, let’s not allow our limited comprehension to keep us from enjoying this day and praising the One who oversees every detail, big and small, of our lives!

My Offering of Worship: Memorize Psalm 139:16 and before you leave your house for the day’s activity, quote this verse aloud. Do that each day this week and watch your confidence in God’s sovereign care over your life grow.

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T.E.A.M

It Takes A Team To Advance The Kingdom

UNSHAKEABLE: Paul, the great theologian who was largely responsible for the evangelization of the western world, didn’t do it all by himself. He needed a little help from his friends in every city where he preached the gospel and planted a church. Though you will likely never hear a sermon or attend a Bible study where his team is given any mention, Paul gives them their props in the eternal Word of God in Romans 16. Take a moment to read this long list of strange names and grasp the truth coming from this list that it takes a team to do the work of the kingdom. For sure, there are leading characters on the Kingdom team, but it’s still a team, mostly of unnamed, unsung heroes who are typically forgotten — except by God. So as you think of the unnamed, unsung heroes in your life, be grateful for them! Especially the ones who serve behind the scenes simply being faithful to God and being kind to God’s people.

It takes a team to advance God’s Kingdom. For sure, there are leading characters on the that team, but it’s still a team, mostly of unsung heroes who are typically forgotten — except by God. —Ray Noah

Unshakeable Living // Romans 16:1

I commend to you Phoebe…she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

So who was Phoebe? We don’t really know, except that she was a deacon in the church in Cenchrea—which brings up a whole different matter about women deacons. I won’t go there for now, but, hey, the Bible sure does…

Anyway, we don’t know much about Phoebe, or the other friends that Paul names as he closes out the book of Romans. Now at this point, I want to do something normally guaranteed to lose your interest at this point—I want to list those names for you. But before I do, promise me that you’ll read through this entire list. You probably won’t be able to pronounce these names correctly, but that’s okay. I can’t either. I just read them really fast and with a lot of bravado, so when people hear me they think I must be an expert in ancient languages. Try it—  you’ll impress your friends.

So here they are: There’s Priscilla, Aquila, Penetus, Mary, Andronicus, Junia, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys, Apelles, the household of Aristobulus, the household of Narcissus, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus and his mother, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and his fellow Christians, Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympia and her Christian friends, Timothy, Lucias, Jason, Sosipater, Tertius, Gaius, Erastus, and last but not least, Quartus.

Whew! My spell-checker is smoking. I don’t think it will ever be the same again.

So what’s up with these names? Simply this: Paul, the great Apostle, the guy who deservedly gets his name in lights almost every Lord’s Day in churches around the world, knew very well that he couldn’t have done it without the help of his friends. If Paul were accepting an Oscar, he would be up there for minutes listing off all the people he’d like to thank—these names and many others he mentions in some of his other writings.

This great theologian who was largely responsible for the evangelization of the western world didn’t do it all by himself. He needed a little help from his friends in every city where he preached the gospel and/or planted a church. Though you will likely never hear a sermon or attend a Bible study where these names are given any mention, Paul gives them their props in the eternal Word of God.

My point is, it takes a team to do the work of the Kingdom. For sure, there are leading characters on the Kingdom team, but it’s still a team, mostly of unnamed, unsung heroes who are typically forgotten—except by God. God never forgets. He appreciates the contributions of each and every single one — even the lesser lights. And he has stored up indescribable recognition and reward for them in the Kingdom to come. And Paul’s mention of them here in the last chapter of Romans is a subtle reminder to us of their contribution to his efforts and of their value to God.

Maybe you are one of those unnamed, unsung heroes who goes unnoticed by everyone else. But your faithfulness is noticed by God. Perhaps you are a Phoebe to a Paul or a Patrobas to a Peter or a Junius to a John, and you wonder if you really matter. My response to you is, “Yes, you matter. We wouldn’t be effective in building God’s Kingdom without you! It takes a team — and no matter how you feel, you are an integral part of that team!”

But more important than my acknowledgment is God’s. He has written your name in a book, too — one that’s even better than Romans. It’s the Book of Life. And God himself will celebrate your name all eternity long. How’s that for recognition?

So just be faithful in doing what you’re doing. Your day is coming!

Get Rooted: Every church is made up of friends of Christ as well as enemies of the Gospel. Even your church! That may be hard for you to swallow, but it’s true. Now rather than getting you riled up and ready to go on a witch hunt, here is what Paul would ask you to do: Take the time to express your gratitude to God for those true friends who make the Gospel possible in your church. And not only thank God for them, but also thank them, too.

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Becoming Intensely Missionary

It’s Time To Personally Prioritize Reaching The Unreached

UNSHAKEABLE: What does God care most about? I would contend that in the most powerful and profound sense, God desires that everyone on Planet Earth would have the chance to hear the Good News of his plan of eternal salvation that he offers through placing saving faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. Whether people accept the message or not, God still wants everyone to have the chance to hear and either reject or accept his gospel. And I would further contend that when you dedicate your life—your time, talent, energy, and resources—to reaching those who have never heard this Good News, God will devote himself to caring for what you most care about. What a deal! That, my friend, is an offer you shouldn’t refuse.

Becoming Intensely Missionary

Unshakeable Living // Romans 15:20-21

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

Are you a missions-minded Christian? Put another way, are you intensely missionary — especially about reaching those who have never heard the Good News of God’s saving plan through placing faith in his Son, Jesus Christ?

I thought I was intensely missionary. I grew up in the church where the occasional missionary would come and, if we were lucky, show slides of his work in Africa or some other far-off place that I had only heard about in geography lessons at school. Then I grew up and became a pastor, and again, the occasional missionary would come and tell the church what God was doing somewhere far away, and I would feel good that we were a missions church. I would even give regularly to support the church’s missions effort around the world. I was content that I was a missions-minded Christian.

But that began to change. Periodically, I was sent overseas for short-term missions projects by the various churches I served, and my heart begin to get reshaped by what I saw God doing among people who had never heard the name of Jesus before. The signs, wonders, and miracles in the context of the mission (Paul talks about that very same mission-laden context: “by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.” Rom 15:19) blew my mind. I had never seen such things in the U.S., and experiencing it abroad, I longed to see the supernatural back home in my church, too. God was disturbing my contentedness and reshaping my heart for missions.

Then God completely dislocated my heart and gave me a real passion for missions, for reaching people who had never heard the Gospel of Christ. I have a notion now that I have become a missions-minded Christian, and I grow more intensely missionary as the days go by.

It all happened when I reluctantly got involved in a church-planting project in a remote, unreached African region in 2004. I was reluctant because I knew that my involvement would require a lot of my own personal resources, and to be successful, it would require significant resources from my church. Figuring our resource pie was already stretched and limited, I secretly feared that the finances we dedicated to this project would flow away from other worthy projects and that we would simply be “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Then, as I was stressing over this likely outcome, something wonderful happened. God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice or through writing on the wall or some other sensational sort of way (that would have been really cool). He simply and clearly spoke to me through an undeniable and unmistakable inner impression in my spirit. Addressing my stress, he simply said, “Ray, if you will take care of the things I care about, then I will take care of the things you care about. I care about a lost world. I care about people who have never heard my name. And I want you to care about them too!” Let me say that again, for it was not only for Ray Noah, it is God’s message to you, too:

If you will take care of the things I care about, then I will take care of the things you care about. I care about a lost world. I care about people who have never heard my name. And I want you to care about them too!

That was good enough for me. I jumped into this project up to my eyeballs, and true to his word, God turned on a miraculous flow of resources for this church planting project and those other projects I had been so concerned about. Best of all, my obedience and those who joined me keyed a revival in this region of Africa that was beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Now, twenty years later, the gospel has spread to unreached villages in several nations, and over 1.5 million lost souls have come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior! And this modern-day revival is showing no signs of slowing.

What God has done in Africa through this act of obedience changed my heart forever and has given me an ever-growing, all-consuming passion for missions. I still have a passion for the local church and reaching the lost in my community (that’s missions, too), but I have an added ambition now: To keep God’s people focused on reaching people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. You see, just because a person happens to be born in an unreached part of the world shouldn’t limit their access to Jesus and the blessings of his kingdom.

Reaching the unreached — that was Paul’s ambition, according to Romans 15:20, way before it was mine. That is God’s ambition, according to Romans 15:21, that “those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

I pray that you will open your heart and let God make it your ambition as well. I hope that you will travel with me down the path to becoming an intensely missionary Christian. If you will, I will make you the same promise God made me:

If you will take care of the things God cares about—a lost world, God will take care of the things you care about—your world.

What a deal! That is an offer you shouldn’t refuse.

Get Rooted: I challenge you to begin to pray this prayer: “God, break my heart for the things that break your heart.”

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Holy Ambition

Ask God To Sanctify Your Motives

UNSHAKEABLE: The Apostle Paul said that his ambition was to preach the gospel where Christ was not known (Rom 15:20). And in the most stunning way, God honored that ambition, both in Paul’s lifetime but mostly throughout time going forward, to send the gospel around the world. God did through Paul more than the apostle ever imagined. So, what has God done through you lately? Do you know that God wants to give you a holy ambition for great things, too — yes, even supernatural things? The divine power that will accomplish your ambition is there, wrapped and waiting in heaven to be released to you. But God won’t waste one ounce of holy ambition on those who would use it for their own gain. However, for those who will open their hearts to the possibility of God using them, then doggedly dedicate themselves to being used for God’s glory alone will find a release of supernatural supply that will enable them to do what only God can do. That is the best kind of ambition; far better and more rewarding than any human ambition — even the most altruistic ambition. It is holy ambition.

For those who dedicate themselves to be used for God’s glory alone, God will release supernatural supply to do through them what only God can do. —Ray Noah

Unshakeable Living // Romans 15:20

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.

It’s time to get your ambition on!

Ambition is something that in our day has an equally positive and negative connotation. In the negative sense, ambitious people are seen as willing to compromise, step on people, win at all costs, and be ruthlessly opportunistic to get what they want — which is usually “to the top.”

When we think of ambition in the positive sense, we prefer to speak of it in terms of passion. This sort of ambitious person is passionate; perhaps we might even call them driven. The Apostle Paul was all of those: driven, passionate, and ambitious in the best sense of the word.

Paul’s passionate drivenness was a holy ambition. It was holy because Paul clearly understood that his calling did not originate within himself, but it was from God: “…because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God…” (Rom 15:15-16) Paul had been given a divine purpose, it was that very purpose that inexorably drove Paul toward its accomplishment.

Furthermore, Paul was ambitious for all the glory to go directly to God: “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done…” (Rom 15:17-18) Paul did not want achieve fame for himself, he wanted only to make God’s name famous among the Gentiles. That’s why Paul was dogged in his determination to take the gospel to Gentiles who had never heard, refusing to co-opt another preacher’s labor, but choosing rather to prophetically plant where no preacher had been. (Rom 15:20-22)

Finally, what elevated Paul’s ambition from merely human to altogether holy was the fact that is was authenticated by the power of the Holy Spirit through signs and wonders: “by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.” (Rom 15:19) God had called Paul to do what he was doing, Paul passionately did what he did for the glory of God alone, and that was the perfect recipe for the release of the divine power that enabled Paul to do what only God could do.

What has God done through you lately? You know, God wants to give you a holy ambition for great things, too — supernatural things! That ambition is there, wrapped and waiting in heaven to be released to you. But God won’t waste one ounce of holy ambition on those who would use it for their own gain. However, for those who will open their hearts to being used by God and then doggedly dedicate themselves to be used for God’s glory alone, God will release supernatural supply to do through them what only God can do. And that, my friend, is the best kind of ambition; far better, more rewarding, and soul-satisfying than any human ambition — even the most altruistic ambition. It is holy ambition.

Do you have it? If not, it’s time to get your ambition on! So sanctify your motives, open up your heart, and get ready for God to use you to achieve some glory for him!

Get Rooted: Spend time with God this week and ask him to show you what he desires to do through you. Then ask him to show you what is holding that divine plan back, then ask him to remove the blockage. Finally, ask him to fill you with consuming ambition for what he has revealed to you.

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Curing The Me-sels

Take a Daily Dose of Dethroning

UNSHAKEABLE: What is worse that the measles? How about the me-sels. The me-sels get particularly nasty when it infects churches. You know there is an outbreak when you start hearing, “you’re sitting in my seat…the sermons don’t feed me…that music isn’t for me…that doesn’t make me comfortable…they’re asking too much of me.” Unfortunately, a lot of churches these days really cater to that “me” mindset. If I were you and found myself in a church that doesn’t want to acknowledge or address this spreading outbreak of me-sels, and in fact, actually contributes to it, I would find a new church in a heartbeat. Get into a fellowship and under anointed leadership that doesn’t shy away from dethroning you and enthroning the One who rightly deserves your worship and service. Get into a church that demands God first, others second, and you a distant third.

Curse the Me-asles

Unshakeable Living // Romans 15:1-2

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

It’s the worst disease of all. I call it the me-sels, and it has been going around since the beginning of time. It is pandemic, it is virulent, and it is resistant to all but one drug — dethroning.

You know what I am talking about … me-sels? “It’s all about me…my needs, my desires, my comfort, my happiness… me…me…me!” The me-sels puts me at the center (a horrible place to be, by the way), God at the periphery (the most subtle but devastating sin of all), and everybody else on the outside (no truer violation of the spirit of Christ).

Me-sels gets particularly nasty when it infects churches. You know there is an outbreak when you start hearing, “you’re sitting in my seat…the sermons don’t feed me…that music isn’t for me…that doesn’t make me comfortable…they’re asking too much of me.” Unfortunately, a lot of churches these days really cater to that “me” mindset. If I were you and found myself in a church that doesn’t want to acknowledge or address this spreading outbreak of me-sels, and in fact, actually contributes to it, I would find a new church in a heartbeat. Get into a fellowship and under anointed leadership that doesn’t shy away from dethroning you and enthroning the One who rightly deserves your worship and service. Get into a church that demands God first, others second, and you a distant third.

Dethroning can be painful, but there’s nothing like getting your me-sels cleared up!

You see, when believers get cured from this nasty infection, the heath that comes to the body of Christ is nothing less than spectacular — and even that’s an understatement. When you get rid of the me-sels, corporate encouragement will flourish and biblical hope will grow.

And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. (Rom 15:4)

Moreover, the church will experiences unity and God will receive the glory that he is due.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 15:5-6)

Suddenly, people will find your church a place where they can experience transforming love and find heart-healing acceptance.

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. (Rom 15:7)

Not only that, but the unbelievers in your community will be irresistibly drawn to Christ by the love you and your fellow Christians have for one another.

As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. (Rom 15:9 Msg, cf. John 13:35, 15:13)

And what about you? Well, you can expect to be filled with nothing less than joy, peace, and the power of the Holy Spirit

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13).

The conditions of spiritual health and vitality are quite preferable to the me-sels, wouldn’t you say?

So here’s the deal: You can settle for a persistent case of the me-sels, or you can take a daily dose of dethroning until it clears up. What’s it going to be?

Get Rooted: Are you suffering from the me-sels? It’s pretty hard to spot in yourself, so why don’t you ask someone who knows you and is willing to be lovingly truthful with you if you are infected? For certain, ask the Great Physician to examine you. Take the time to respond to these seven questions—they will help to give you a more accurate assessment of your condition: 1) Do you tend to think of yourself first, or do you gladly and proactively put the needs and interests of others ahead of your own? 2) Are you willing to put up with inconvenience and discomfort for the sake of Christ? 3) What do you need to do to increase your “servant quotient”? 4) Where might your attitude need adjusting? 5) How can you become more accountable for growth in this area servant-heartedness? 6) Who are you serving in the name of Christ? 7) Is the motto “God is first, others are second, and I am third” true of you? It would be easy to breeze through this examination and ignore the prescription that will cure this disease, but the certain outcome of such avoidance will be live with a persistent case of the me-sels. So what does a daily dose of dethronement look like for you in a practical sense?

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What Truly Matters

Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit

UNSHAKEABLE: Trigger warning! So much of what Christians get uptight about, particularly as it relates to how others are living out their faith, really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of how the Kingdom of God is to be fleshed out. It just doesn’t matter if some believers drink wine, play cards, put a dollar down on the lottery, go to movies, dance socially, or you name it. It doesn’t matter if some Christians run around, jump up and down, and wave flags when they worship, go to church on Friday night rather than Sunday morning, give their offerings online rather than in the plate, or whatever. Here’s the deal: You can do what you want as long as your bottom-line motivation in life is to bring honor to the Lord. Romans 14:7-8 reminds us, “For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it is to honor the Lord. And if we die, it is to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

Unshakeable Living // Romans 14:17

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or what we drink, but of living a life of goodness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

So much of what Christians get uptight about, particularly as it relates to how others are living out their faith, really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of how the Kingdom of God is to be fleshed out. It just doesn’t matter if some believers drink wine, play cards, put a dollar down on the lottery, go to movies, dance socially, or you name it. It doesn’t matter if some Christians run around, jump up and down, and wave flags when they worship, go to church on Friday night rather than Sunday morning, give their offerings online rather than in the plate, or whatever.

That is what Paul is really teaching here in Romans 14. Certain of the Roman Christians in Paul’s day were getting uptight with other believers because they weren’t living out their faith the way these Roman church members were. In that day, the issue had to do with certain foods that some believers felt was inappropriate to eat. The big deal about meat was that before it had been purchased, it had likely been sacrificed to an idol prior to its arrival at the market. That was a concern to the non-meat-eating believers because they believed to now eat that meat was to give tacit worship to idols.

Another issue had to do with what day they believed was the correct day to gather for worship. Some thought that Saturday, the Sabbath, was the correct day, while others preferred Sunday worship service. And as people chose sides over these issues, hard feelings and disharmony were the results in the church.

So Paul says, “look gang, what foods you eat or don’t eat and what day you choose to worship just doesn’t matter in the bigger picture of what the Kingdom of God is all about. You are free to do what you want so long as your bottom-line motivation in life is to bring honor to the Lord.” Notice these words,

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it is to honor the Lord. And if we die, it is to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Rom 14:7-8)

That is a great rule of life to live by. If — and that is a critical ‘if’ — your consuming motive is to bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, then nothing else really matters. Do what you want, eat what you want, drink what you want, worship when you want and in the way you want — as long as your sole purpose is to glorify the Lord. That’s why Paul went on to remind these believers, “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat or drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Now Paul gives a couple of caveats to this principle. One, if you cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble by deliberately doing certain things that offend their conscience, then you’ve missed the point. You are not glorifying God. You are unnecessarily creating disharmony, and harmony in the family of God is a big deal, a very big deal, to the Lord. And two, if you take advantage of this liberty in Christ to do something your conscience tells you not to do, you have crossed over into sin. So be careful in the exercise of your Christian freedom.

Here is what really matters in our Christian faith: Do everything to honor God, and you will be okay.

As St. Augustine said, “Love and do what you will.”

Get Rooted: Enjoy your freedom in Christ this week! But pass it by these questions:  1) Does it glorify Christ? 2) Does it cause another believer to stumble? 3) Does it violate your conscience?