My 2nd Bible study this morning has great meaning for me as I have a wonderful Christian friend who doesn't mean to be, but is very judgmental. She is so certain that her beliefs are the only true ones that I don't think she can find peace in her friendships. So when I read this today I thought immediately of her. My prayer for her every day is to find peace in her heart.
I don't know if her beliefs are the right ones. I don't know if her beliefs are the only ones that will get us into Heaven. I am not supposed to KNOW. I am only supposed to allow the Holy Spirit in me to guide me and direct me and tell me what God wants me to do as I read His word.
Romans 14:1-12 (NIV)
The Weak and the Strong
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgement on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? (remember we are all God's servants) To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgement seat. It is written:
" 'As surely as I live; says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.'"(Isaiah 45:23)
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Our Daily Bread
Sunday, March 26, 2017
East Meets West
"In the days of the New Testament, Jewish and Gentile converts were coming to Christ with perspectives as different as East and West. Before long they were disagreeing over matters as diverse as worship days and what a Christ-follower is free to eat and drink. The apostle Paul urged them to remember an important fact: None of us is in a position to know or judge the heart of another.
For the sake of harmony with fellow believers, God urges us to realize that we are all accountable to our Lord, to act according to His Word and our conscience. However, He alone is in a position to judge the attitudes of our heart.
Dearest Father in Heaven,
Help me to treat everyone as equals and to love them all as you so wonderfully love me. In my heart I do not care how they worship You, only that they love you, Lord Jesus Christ, more than life itself and that they worship only You.
Amen
I don't know if her beliefs are the right ones. I don't know if her beliefs are the only ones that will get us into Heaven. I am not supposed to KNOW. I am only supposed to allow the Holy Spirit in me to guide me and direct me and tell me what God wants me to do as I read His word.
Romans 14:1-12 (NIV)
The Weak and the Strong
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgement on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? (remember we are all God's servants) To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgement seat. It is written:
" 'As surely as I live; says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.'"(Isaiah 45:23)
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Our Daily Bread
Sunday, March 26, 2017
East Meets West
"In the days of the New Testament, Jewish and Gentile converts were coming to Christ with perspectives as different as East and West. Before long they were disagreeing over matters as diverse as worship days and what a Christ-follower is free to eat and drink. The apostle Paul urged them to remember an important fact: None of us is in a position to know or judge the heart of another.
For the sake of harmony with fellow believers, God urges us to realize that we are all accountable to our Lord, to act according to His Word and our conscience. However, He alone is in a position to judge the attitudes of our heart.
Dearest Father in Heaven,
Help me to treat everyone as equals and to love them all as you so wonderfully love me. In my heart I do not care how they worship You, only that they love you, Lord Jesus Christ, more than life itself and that they worship only You.
Amen