📖 Scripture

💡 Scripture Summary

Paul tells believers to accept those whose faith is weak without passing judgment on them. Some eat everything, others eat only vegetables, but God accepts both. Each person should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whether living or dying, they belong to the Lord. Each will give an account of themselves to God.

🔎 Reflection

Who Are You to Judge? (14:1–6)

Paul addresses two groups—the weak and the strong. He instructs the strong to accept and not quarrel with those who continue to observe traditional Jewish rules and refrain from eating certain foods. As for the weak, Paul urges them not to show contempt or judge others for eating whatever food they want. People may live out their faith differently, but those who are sincerely trying to honor God are offering their worship and thanks to Him. We may not always agree with one another, but in God’s wisdom, we can respect everyone in the body of Christ and live up to our calling to love one another, letting our commonality in Christ be our foundational bond.

What are some of the greatest disputes in your church? Reflect on when it is important to make a stand for certain issues and when to allow for differences.

How Will You Live? (14:7–12)

Ultimately, Christians belong to the Lord, and we are to live and die for Him. We are not to judge our fellow brothers and sisters. There may be times when it is necessary to confront fellow Christians for their sins, but we are not to treat them with contempt. We are to love and encourage one another as we live for the Lord because, one day, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. He will act as judge as we give an account of how we lived. We can remain secure about what we will say to God when we continue to remain focused on loving others and living for His glory.

Consider how you have been living. If you had to give an account of your life thus far, what would you say to God?

📜 Memory Verse

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
– Romans 14:19

💬 Today’s Inspiration

“You are not alone, even in death, and on the Last Day you will be only one member of the great congregation of Jesus Christ.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer

🙏 Prayer

Dear God, You are the true Judge. When I give an account before You, I want it to show how much I loved Your people and lived for Your glory. Help me to demonstrate Your love and grace. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

🖋 Essay

Better Together

I used to think that the Christian life could be done alone. I thought I was spiritually strong because I assumed I knew enough of the Bible to navigate through life on my own. “Since I have the Holy Spirit residing in me,” I thought, “who else do I need?” But if I am being honest, this attitude only showed how much I loved one person: me.

I loved myself to the degree that I would not let anyone stop me from getting what I wanted. I did not have any accountability, and I lived under the guise that I was striving after Christ. I would not even accept anyone’s validation of my striving because I only trusted my own self-evaluation.

God saves sinners like me and puts them into the body of Christ for a reason. Not only did He set me there, but He also commanded me to meet with other Christians so that the body could spur me toward Christ and so that I could spur others to become more like Him. This process of mutual sanctification is not always easy. Sometimes it gets messy, and in the face of sin, there are necessary confrontations and challenges of accountability that need to take place. However, this is who we are wired to be: people who live in community. We glorify God as we help one another become more like the One who always reflects perfect community.

Written by Joe Park