______________________ Generous Space for Growth ____________________________________________________________________ PRAY Father, thank You for Your Word. It can encourage, demand, and correct. Use it to make me whole in You. ____________________________________________________________________ READ Romans 14:1-9 ^ Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and dont argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. ^ For instance, one person believes its all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. ^ Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who dont. And those who dont eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. ^ Who are you to condemn someone elses servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lords help, they will stand and receive his approval. ^ In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. ^ Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. ^ For we dont live for ourselves or die for ourselves. ^ If we live, its to honor the Lord. And if we die, its to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ^ Christ died and rose again for this very purpose-to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. MEDITATE Consider: We must not elevate nonessentials, especially of custom and ceremony, to the level of essential and make them tests of orthodoxy and conditions of fellowship. Think: In this passage, Paul continues to work out in practice what it means to bemembers one of another(Rom. 12:5, KJV) in relation to some specific issues of contention. What Paul does not say is almost as important as what he does say. He is writing to a mixed Jewish-Gentile community, and the most obvious way of understanding his comments about regulations on food (2) and the observation of holy days (5) is that he is referring to whether Jewish food laws and the keeping of Sabbath now apply to all. We know from other passages that these were important issues (Gal. 3; 1 Cor. 8) but what is fascinating is that Paul conspicuously avoids naming it as a Jewish/Gentile issue. Since we are all one in Christ, such a distinction no longer pertains. Instead, he talks of thoseweakin faith. He is not using this term to suggest inferiority, or that these people are not yet saved. He seems to imply that such people have not yet worked out fully the implications of all that he has been saying earlier in the letter. We are all united by our confession thatJesus is Lord(10:9), but we are also all disciples, learners, who are on a path of growing in our understanding. Some have becomefully convinced in their own mind(5) about such things, after mature reflection and discussion; others continue on the journey of growth and discovery on these matters. Paul is offering a two-fold challenge: determination to strive for greater understanding, and generosity to others who are just embarking on their own journey of learning. Paul is so committed to the importance of generosity and unity that he is able to describe these things as debatable matters, even though he himself has a clear view on them. APPLY How good are you at offering a generous welcome to those starting on the journey of faith? What opportunities are there in your fellowship for learning and growing? ____________________________________________________________________ PRAY Lord Jesus, I want always to be a disciple, a life-long learner of what it means to follow You. May I always encourage others on their journey with You, also. ____
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 06:50:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015