Useful Bible Studies > Romans Commentary > chapter 14
When Christians eat, they should thank God for his goodness. It is God who provides food, both for people and for every living thing (Psalm 136:25). We cannot in reality obtain food by our own efforts, however hard our work may be (Psalm 127:2). Rather, our food is the kind gift that God, our Father in heaven, provides for us (Matthew 6:11; Matthew 6:31-33).
Therefore, for a Christian, even a simple meal provides both an opportunity, and a reason, to praise God.
However, sometimes a Christian might refuse to eat certain foods because of his beliefs. He makes that decision because he cares about his relationship with God; he is doing only what his conscience declares to be right. Therefore, in that decision, that Christian is also giving honour to God. He must not make that decision with a proud attitude, but rather with a grateful heart. So, he too must thank God for his goodness. He may not eat the food, but he too has both an opportunity and a reason to praise God.
Christians should be careful to give honour to God in all their decisions, but especially in decisions about their religion. When they choose to have a special day, for example Christmas or Easter, it must not be just an opportunity for parties. They might have those happy activities, but the main purpose of the day must be to give honour to God.
It is possible for Christians to have different opinions about various matters. For example, they may not agree about holy days, or about which foods to eat. In their decisions about these things, Christians should be careful always to give honour to God. Often, that matters much more than the actual decisions that they are making.
Next part: In life or death, Christians belong to Christ (Romans 14:7-8)
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