March 28, 2022

Romans 14:1-12(HCSB)  The Law of Liberty
14 Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about doubtful issues. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to criticize another’s household slave? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand. For the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living. 10 But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the tribunal of God. 11 For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God. 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Lea Hibdon
 My professor once said, “It’s funny the less you know someone, the more you have to say about them.” Many decisions that come into my Christian life, don’t follow with an absolute yes or no. Remember that “Gray Areas” study? But the bible says: “Let your yes be your yes, and no be no…” yet what happens when it isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ matter? On the main things, God’s word is so clear to me, but on the lesser important matters: sometimes it’s best for me to let God work out the details. I need to be more open minded, knowing we will ALL stand before the judgment seat of God and it does matter how I treat God’s people: the ones in my community, the words written on my social media posts, the stranger I ignored, and the family member I spoke to out of anger. I know I have been forgiven of these things, but God will still cast judgment on those events. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and God created each for a purpose, but that purpose was not for me to be the author of judgment.

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