God of unending love and wisdom, may those be special gifts to this dear reader today in all that she or he faces; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Romans 14:13-23 and we'll us The Message version again:
13 Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. 14 I'm convinced - Jesus convinced me! - that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it. 15 If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don't eat, you're no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? 16 Don't you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning! 17 God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. 18 Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you. 19 So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; 20 don't drag them down by finding fault. You're certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God's work among you, are you? I said it before and I'll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. 21 When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don't eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love. 22 Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. 23 But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe - some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them - then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong (a sin).
For the ancient believer of Paul's time, dietary concerns were important as we discussed in an earlier devotional. To eat something used first for the worship of an idol or false god didn't sit well with some believers. Others thought, if you're hungry, you're hungry and you eat; food is food. The disagreement between the two brought about conflicts that shouldn't have happened in the first place. Here Paul addresses those again. Verse 19 is key: "So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each others. Help others with encouraging words; don't drag them down by finding fault." Hey, isn't that the "fun" in church, finding fault with others? For some, it may seem to be. Paul said, we have a bigger enemy to fight and that's evil. In order to better fight evil, we should have no space or room between us, join hands and hearts in the worship and service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Exchange love with one another, for was that not the new great commandment given by Jesus, to love one another?
Let's make today a day to commit to love the Lord our God with all that we have. Secondly, let's love each other in the strong, positive, uplifting way we should be loving ourselves. Imagine a world filled with love, working together against evil.
PRAYER: Loving God, I confess that I am guilt of sometimes looking at the faults of others and trying to address those. Your Son, Jesus said I was to look first at myself and the plank in my eye before removing the speck in my neighbor's eye. May that be true for me today. Let me join my hands and hearts with my brothers and sisters to fight evil and share in love with each other. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
