Romans 14:13-16

Passage

Therefore, no longer should we judge each other.  But instead we should judge this: to not establish a cause for stumbling or an offensive opposition for a brother.  I have known and I have become convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean through itself except to someone who considers it to be unclean.  It is unclean to that one.  For if your brother is being distressed through food, you are no longer walking in love.  Do not destroy that one by your food – one for whose sake Christ died.  Therefore, let not your love be blasphemed.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Rather than judging one another, we should be more concerned with the means of stumbling that we put into the paths of others.  There are many levels of this truth.  The most basic level is this: am I more concerned with how other people affect me or how I affect other people?  When I am too busy judging others, I care only about how other people are affecting me.  Paul tells me I should let that go completely and instead focus on the impact I have upon other people.  This is the same thing that Jesus says when he speaks about the log in my own eye in Matthew 7:1-5.  If the world spent more time reflecting upon their own influence and less time worried about blaming the people around them, we would be in a far better place.

Is it easier to accept responsibility or blame other people?  Why do we have to be constantly reminded to be more concerned about our own influence – even as Christians?

Second Thought:

The second layer of truth deals with closeness to the Lord’s will.  Remember what Paul has said earlier about the purpose of the Law.  The Law was given to us so that in our weakness we might know right from wrong.  However, as I draw closer to God – as I am crucified with Christ so that it is no longer I who live – I should have less and less trouble resisting the ways of the world.  The more I follow Christ, the less I will follow the world.  In other words, the more I follow Christ, the less my things will be unclean.  The more I am obedient to the will of God and make His will into my will, the less focus I will have to spend on concern over my own uncleanliness.  What Paul is getting at is that as we draw closer to God and His ways our motivations will line up with God and our actions will not be unclean.

Does proximity to God truly change who you are?  How has your life changed towards God in the past month, year, or decade?

Third Thought:

Finally, Paul reminds us that love is the root of who we are.  Love is the root of God’s action in bringing salvation to us.  It should be the root of our actions toward others in this world.  We need to be concerned about not giving our love a reason to be blasphemed.  Of course, that being said, we do serve a Lord who was crucified because of His love.  While we should not be active about giving reason for our love to be blasphemed, neither should we be surprised when it is blasphemed by this world.

What do you do that might cause your love to be blasphemed?  How have you tried to recover from such events?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 14:17-19