Weekly Devotional - November 2

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his

opinions.  One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.  The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 

For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,

And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an

obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus

that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is

unclean.

Romans 14:1-14

In verses 7-13, Paul emphasizes that love for one’s neighbor should be reciprocal. He highlights that the matters at hand—things that possess neither inherent goodness nor evil—do not contradict God's precepts, nor do they challenge the fulfillment of the law through Christ. These are relatively minor issues that should never be treated as significant. For example, we cannot apply the same considerations to the commandment against murder, as that represents a major concern. Instead, we are discussing matters such as what we eat and drink, the days we celebrate, the clothes we wear, the games we play, the movies we watch, the jobs we hold, and the friends we choose. The real danger lies in allowing these minor issues to be elevated to a status of primary importance, becoming benchmarks for Christianity, or, worse yet, transforming into requirements for righteousness. This is a detrimental trend. Time and again, our pride and self-righteousness can mislead us into thinking that Christianity revolves around Christians, when in fact, it is solely about Christ. If we can remember this fundamental principle, all the minor issues will naturally fall into place.