Blog Log

Romans 14 Shortened - 1st and last sentence of each paregraph. ( The Message ) Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. Treat them gently.

For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks each day is pertty much like any other. S, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.

What's important in all this is that you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegitarian, eat vegtables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli.That is why Jesus lived ans died and lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from petty tyrannies of each other.

So where does that leave you when you critize a brother? Read it for yourself in Schripture.

So take care of your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

Forget about deciding what's right for each other. We, of course, by the way we talk about it, can contaminate it.

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? Don't you dare let a piece of God-blesswd food become an occasion of soul-poisoning.

God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness sake.

So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Don't eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.

Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.