I love reading Bible passages that encourage my faith.
That’s why I loved reading Romans 14:17-19 this morning during my devotional time.
The larger context involved the Apostle Paul’s teaching to the church at Rome regarding the topic of foods. Some recent converts were accustomed to eating certain foods while converts from other religious backgrounds saw those same foods as offensive.
Because Paul knew that we humans tend to choke on cultural gnats and yet swallow horse pills of divisiveness, he issued this call for focusing on what pleases God and builds the Church:
“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” (NLT)
It’s unlikely that your church is about to split over food choices among members. But wherever there are believers, there will be the Deceiver. And he will do all he can to find something that people will fuss over, perhaps to the point of choosing sides.
It’s just what he does.
Let’s remember that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we __________ or ___________, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If we serve Christ with this attitude, we will please God, and others will approve of our efforts, too.
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
Even when it means keeping our personal preferences for music styles or clothing styles or hairstyles or worship style from grabbing the microphone or steering wheel of our lives and running others off the road to heaven.
Please God. Build each other up.
That pretty much sums everything up, doesn’t it?
As always, I love you
Marton
