Skip to main content

Don't Be A Stumbling Block, Be A Step.


Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. (Romans 14:13)
 

            "If you love the Lord, you'll share..." or "Share if you are not ashamed of Jesus...."
            "How can you not raise your hands in worship?"
            Then there are  the various holidays and the greetings to which we'll respond appropriately if we're really Christians. The  seemingly unending list of things you must do and must not do to prove you are a good Christian changes constantly.
          When Paul wrote the letter to Romans the debates were already raging. Some thought eating food used in sacrifices to idols was worshipping the gods or goddesses to which it had been sacrificed. Others said that was nonsense because the gods and goddesses in question didn't actually exist. Some people were scrupulous about observing holidays. Others apparently thought observing those holidays was somehow wrong.
          This is the background to today's passage. Paul wasn't telling anyone not to judge things that were well-established as sins: adultery, lying, etc. He was interested in dealing with questions within the Church, specifically things that could  result in individuals or groups being denied fellowship. "One another" does not refer to judging sin or even judging those who are outside the Church.  It's all about other Christians.
          What Paul tells us is that instead of judging one another, we should be judging ourselves, being careful that we don't put things in the way of another Christian and causing him/her to sin or preventing him/her from growing in his/her faith. It seems to me that we are putting stumbling blocks out whenever we demand or prohibit performance as a proof of Christianity and too often attempting to shame those we should be encouraging. It's easy to be a stumbling block. Determine to be a step instead.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Birthday of
Frank Lloyd Wright, George Stephenson (locomotive)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more