Romans 14:1-12 (NRSV)
Read Romans 14:1-12 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 14Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Verse 2Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Verse 3Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Verse 4Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Verse 5Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Verse 6Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. Verse 7We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. Verse 8If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. Verse 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Verse 10Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Verse 11For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." Verse 12So then, each of us will be accountable to God.
Devotion
Human pride causes many of us to be convinced that our way of practicing the Christian faith is the best, if not only, way. We are quick to pass judgment on those who observe strange traditions, worship in a different manner, or entertain “unorthodox” notions about what is pleasing to God. But Paul tells us it’s none of our business. We have not been called or commissioned to judge someone else’s servants—certainly not God’s servants!
If you are going to judge anyone, judge yourself. Are you doing those things God is expecting of you? Are you serving with pure motives, to the best of your ability? If not, you have plenty to work on. You don’t have time to be a judge.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you have claimed me in the waters of baptism, and I am yours forever. May I seek to honor you in all I do today. Whether my decisions and actions are truly pleasing to you, I can never know for sure. Yet may my desire to please you be pleasing in itself. Amen.