"Read Romans 14"

Daily Reading: Romans 14

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. (Romans 14.10)

Devotional Thought: The Jews were passing judgment on the Gentiles.  The Gentiles were despising Jewish Christians.  Paul told them: Enough!  “We will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”  That meant two things:

·       We shouldn’t judge our brothers and sisters when they don’t adopt our scruples.  God knows the heart and is perfectly capable of judging.

·       We are not free to live any old way we want, just because we aren’t “scrupled” by a particular behavior.  God is going to judge everyone based on their faithfulness to him, and if our “loose” standards cause someone to stumble, then we will be judged by our callous attitude.

As an example, I am often asked, “Why don’t you drink alcohol?  It doesn’t say in the Bible that we shouldn’t drink, just that we shouldn’t get drunk.  What’s the problem with me taking a drink now and then?”  Well, let’s look at that from a Romans 14 perspective.  Say I am okay with drinking, and I have a friend who has struggled with alcohol in the past, and who has felt convicted by God that he should stay completely away from it.  When he discovers that I think it’s okay to drink, he may begin to think it’s okay for him, too.  Then, unable to control his drinking, he might "fall off the wagon."  He may even fall away from God by his disobedience and rebellion.  My drinking would prove to be his downfall. 

We should not pass judgment on another, but we should also live our lives with others in mind.  You may say, “I can’t worry about what others think!”  I would say, “Read Romans 14.”

Prayer:  Lord, help me to live not to please myself, but to please Christ and to "bear with the failings of the weak... for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself."  Amen. (Romans 15.1-3)

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 22.20-24

20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.