Romans 14: 13 So then, let us stop
judging one another. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would
make others stumble or fall into sin. 14 My union with the Lord
Jesus makes me certain that no food is of itself ritually unclean; but if you
believe that some food is unclean, then it becomes unclean for you. 15 If you hurt others because
of something you eat, then you are no longer acting from love. Do not let the
food that you eat ruin the person for whom Christ died! 16 Do not let what you regard
as good get a bad name. 17 For God's Kingdom is not a matter of
eating and drinking, but of the righteousness, peace, and joy which the Holy
Spirit gives. 18 And when you serve Christ in this way,
you please God and are approved by others.
============
Putting together the
lunch menu for the business meeting was supposed to be easy. I liked a certain
type of food, but when I asked people what their choice was, I was shocked. “You
mean you don’t like piles of deliciousness falling off of your plate?” I
thought to myself. Several people wanted something different than what I would
choose. I changed the menu.
- There have been times when I questioned what people ate.
- There have been times when I considered letting the ”picky” people, find their own meal.
- There have been times when I wanted to speak about CHRIST but my menu left people, who had different beliefs, out and I could not share the gospel with them.
Arguments over food
needed to be addressed, so Paul wrote on this matter. He got to the heart of
the matter, speaking to those who felt free to eat anything, telling them to
curb their freedom for those who bound themselves to eat a certain way. It was
not about the food, but the example.
- GOD wants me to think of others when I eat.
- GOD wants me to consider my freedom as offensive to those I may be trying to reach.
- GOD wants me to be flexible temporarily so I can serve those who HE wants to reach.
My freedom should
not make someone fall. I mean, if I am alright with doing something, eating
something or being somewhere that another person cannot handle, I should be
flexible enough to pause my freedom for a moment. It’s not worth trying to
convince “that” person to eat or drink a certain way.
GOD wants a good reputation
and HE chooses sinners to provide it. HE wants me to be able to surrender my
freedom temporarily, in order to reach the lost. It is not about me, it is
about JESUS.
- Are you complaining about the way someone eats or does not eat?
- Do you think “that” person is weaker in faith?
- Will you “stop judging one another” and be a good example for CHRIST so you may be “approved by others” for HIM today?
No comments:
Post a Comment