Walking in love
So then, let us stop judging one another. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make others stumble or fall into sin. My union with the Lord Jesus makes me certain that no food is of itself ritually unclean; but if you believe that some food is unclean, then it becomes unclean for you. If you hurt others because of something you eat, then you are no longer acting from love. Do not let the food that you eat ruin the person for whom Christ died! (verses 13-15)
Read Romans 14:13-23
The Armed Forces teach their new recruits from day one to work together as a team for a common goal. There is no place for individual glory here. Either the whole team wins or the whole team loses. If there is a weakness in the team, those who are stronger are encouraged to help their stumbling or fallen comrades.
God’s church is a corpus. You are part of a team. Christ has given you freedom to march forward according to the measure of faith given to you. But he also wants you to look out for your brothers and sisters in the faith. Use your freedom wisely, so as not to discourage them to the point of despair or offence. What may be an easy obstacle for you to negotiate may cause others some difficulty. They will be built up as you walk in love—travelling sometimes at their pace.
Heavenly Father, help me to discern what is helpful and what is harmful for me and for others, so that those around me may be built up in Christ Jesus. Amen.
by Simon Cooper, in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)
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