SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Special Days

Words of Faith Final

Special Days
Words of Faith 11-19-2021
Dr.Jeffrey D.Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><<><   

Romans 14
    [5] One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.[6] He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.[7] For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.[8] If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

      Humans are quite prone to judging one another, especially when it comes to religious matters! It seems it is not enough simply to be judgmental about questionable lifestyle choices. We also want to judge one another regarding worship practices.
      Verse 5 seems as if it were written just for today. Perhaps you have noticed a resurgence of controversy related to the "correct" day to observe Sabbath. Some argue that Saturday, the seventh day, is forever the Sabbath and cannot be changed. Others argue that Sunday is a "Christian Sabbath" because it is the day of resurrection. One side accuses Sunday worshipers of wearing the "mark of the beast," while Sunday worshipers accuse Saturday observers of "Judaizing."  
      What is the answer? Paul was clear on this nearly twenty centuries ago. "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special does so to the Lord."  
      The truth is that the Biblical Sabbath cannot be changed because it was set at creation itself. Sunday is not "the Lord's Sabbath" but can certainly be observed as "a Sabbath" or a day of worship to celebrate the resurrection. We are not under the rigid rules of religious observance anyway. Have we forgotten that Jesus declared that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath anyway! Why do we argue about such things? We would do well simply to take a Sabbath somewhere in our lives to honor God and refresh our bodies and souls.
     But the larger issue is the way we judge. Isn't it amazing how we can pick at one another in matters of worship? To say it is "childish" is... well, only insulting to children! We judge those who raise hands in worship or those who don't. We judge those who use traditional music or those who use modern music. We judge those who pray in a particular way or those who don't. And none of it speaks of the freedom that Christ came to declare. It only speaks loudly of religion.
     Paul has an answer that reflects the transformed life. "For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." We will do well to live our lives to the Lord and not worry about how others worship or what day they pray.

     Lord, forgive me the judgmental thoughts that cross my mind and the judgmental words that cross my lips. I desire to live and die to You, O Lord, for I belong to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at http://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/cgi-bin/devotions/displayMonths.cgi
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -      
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.