Truth that Builds Faith ____________________________________________________________________ PRAY Holy Father, I trust You for the continuance of Your daily mercies. I pray for the lessening of sins hold on my will. ____________________________________________________________________ READ Romans 14:10-23 ^ So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ^ For the Scriptures say,As surely as I live, says the LORD, every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.^ Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. ^ So lets stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. ^ I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. ^ And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Dont let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. ^ Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. ^ For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ^ If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. ^ So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. ^ Dont tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. ^ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. ^ You may believe theres nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who dont feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. ^ But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning. MEDITATE Consider:Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement) ...(Acts 4:36). Barnabas is an example of how we should relate to others. Think: Having spent thirteen chapters clarifying what is true about God and his plan, Paul now appears to be saying something quite radical: on many issues in Christian living, being right is less important than being considerate! This is not to suggest that Christian faith is about being polite or avoiding conflict; nor is it to offer a pain-free way around difficult decisions and debates among Christians--Paul was not afraid to speak the truth! It is to say, however, that we can never separate our discussions of what is right and wrong from the impact of that discussion on others. Too many people have walked away from faith and the church because they feel condemned for asking questions or differing in their views on what are, often, disputable matters. Paul is not saying that the truth is unimportant or ambiguous. Rather, it is rooted in a conviction about Gods unique position as just judge. In this sense, his concerns about relations in the body match those about relations with outsiders; it is God who will judge and repay (12:19). His citation of Isaiah 45:23 in v. 11 reminds us of his later use of this when writing to Christians in Philippi:every knee should bowandevery tongue confessthat God the just judge is made known to us in Jesus, who emptied himself for us and became a servant of all (Phil. 2:4-11). So are we helping others to grow in righteousness, peace and joy as they are filled with the Holy Spirit (17)? Are we building people up and drawing them into experiencing the grace of God for them? The only actions that count are ones that spring from our faith and our trust in God, and lead to the growth of this faith in others (23). ____________________________________________________________________ APPLY Think about an issue of contention in your own congregation or in the national church. How might the conduct of this debate reflect more fully the concerns Paul expresses here? ____________________________________________________________________ PRAY Lord, I want to lift up others rather than drag them down. I ask to be like Barnabas, encouraging others as they follow Jesus.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 06:06:37 +0000
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