Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Ecclesiastes 9:7
God isn't only interested in our lives when we happen to be around other Christians. Even when we are at home by ourselves, or in our cars commuting to work, or among our friends, God takes a great interest in our lives. Every part is one that is searched out by the Holy Spirit. Every part of our lives are covered by the waters of our baptism, which also means that every part of our lives is covered by the blood and forgiveness of Jesus, which was given to us through the waters of our baptism.
That's a significant thing to remember when we read verses like the one above. If God is God of every part of our life, and if God has covered every part of our life with Jesus, then even the most ordinary of things like eating and drinking can be done with joy and gladness. Our eating refreshes the body that God has given to us, and that He has redeemed through Jesus. Therefore, even eating and drinking are good actions, with the approval of God. (This does merit a side note when you read the word drinking. While God doesn't forbid the drinking of alcohol, the over-indulgence of such is spoken of as sin. So keep that in mind if your thoughts bend that way.)
So if God is interested and rejoices when you eat and drink, what else does He take interest in? How about every part of your life? When you sleep, God is greatly interested in you. When you take your bath/shower, God is supremely interested in you. When you relax, God is watching you with great delight. When you spend time with your family, God rejoices over you. When you share intimate moments with your spouse, God smiles and approves.
These are the days of our lives. God takes a great interest in every moment, every second, that we live. True, He knows our tendency to sin, given that it's in our very nature, but He also knows that we are covered through our baptism with the forgiveness and the garment of Jesus. And believe me, God takes an overwhelming delight in all things Jesus. So if Jesus covers you, God takes an overwhelming delight in you. What a great thing to think about this Labor Day weekend!
God isn't only interested in our lives when we happen to be around other Christians. Even when we are at home by ourselves, or in our cars commuting to work, or among our friends, God takes a great interest in our lives. Every part is one that is searched out by the Holy Spirit. Every part of our lives are covered by the waters of our baptism, which also means that every part of our lives is covered by the blood and forgiveness of Jesus, which was given to us through the waters of our baptism.
That's a significant thing to remember when we read verses like the one above. If God is God of every part of our life, and if God has covered every part of our life with Jesus, then even the most ordinary of things like eating and drinking can be done with joy and gladness. Our eating refreshes the body that God has given to us, and that He has redeemed through Jesus. Therefore, even eating and drinking are good actions, with the approval of God. (This does merit a side note when you read the word drinking. While God doesn't forbid the drinking of alcohol, the over-indulgence of such is spoken of as sin. So keep that in mind if your thoughts bend that way.)
So if God is interested and rejoices when you eat and drink, what else does He take interest in? How about every part of your life? When you sleep, God is greatly interested in you. When you take your bath/shower, God is supremely interested in you. When you relax, God is watching you with great delight. When you spend time with your family, God rejoices over you. When you share intimate moments with your spouse, God smiles and approves.
These are the days of our lives. God takes a great interest in every moment, every second, that we live. True, He knows our tendency to sin, given that it's in our very nature, but He also knows that we are covered through our baptism with the forgiveness and the garment of Jesus. And believe me, God takes an overwhelming delight in all things Jesus. So if Jesus covers you, God takes an overwhelming delight in you. What a great thing to think about this Labor Day weekend!
These are good things for me to remember--especially when the world looks bleak. Thanks, Pastor Scott:).
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