Romans 14:5-9
One person values one day above another. Another person values every day the same. Let each person be fully convinced in his own mind. The person who honors a certain day does this for the Lord, and the person who eats does this for the Lord, because he gives thanks to God. And the person who does not eat does this for the Lord and gives thanks to God. In fact, not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. Indeed, if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this reason he died, rose, and lived, to be Lord of both the dead and the living.
We all face struggles; our lives are full of them. Living in a sinful world, sin causes all our problems—sickness, disease, and sadness. Too often, we become discouraged by these challenges, but we must remember that this life is not the best it will be; it’s not our final destination—heaven is. Likewise, God is not the cause of our hardships—our sins are.
Every soul, whether believer or unbeliever, is precious to God; He desires all to be saved. He tells us He does not want the death of the wicked. So, as believers, we need to remember that everything we do is for the glory and honor of the Lord, just as Paul wrote. These words can be challenging because we sin, but by recognizing and confessing our sins, God faithfully forgives us. By faith, we stay focused on Jesus and that day when we will be with Him in heaven for eternity. Our faith in Jesus makes this possible.
How do we know we’re valuable? Because the price paid was the blood of God’s one and only Son on the cross to cover our sins. Paul wrote that Jesus lived and died for us so that we belong to Him.
Dear Lord Jesus, because You died to pay for everyone’s sins, let my response to Your love be to share this message with one person today. Enable me to do this for Your glory so that they hear Your word and You make an eternal difference in that person’s life. Guide me to share the good news of salvation with them so they can do everything for Your glory, knowing You, our Savior. Amen.