Slices
Prepare
Pray to learn something you need from the Lord today.
Bible passage
The weak and the strong
14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
‘“As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“Every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.”’
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Explore
It was over 50 years ago and it seems silly now. I was in a hot, crowded, stuffy church on a sultry Sunday evening. Most men had taken their jackets off (yes, the men were wearing jackets then!) to feel more comfortable. I took my jacket off but felt distinctly uncomfortable. Somehow, I felt I was being disrespectful to God, to the church and to the Lord’s Day, worshipping there in my shirtsleeves. So I put my jacket back on and felt at ease again. My friends smiled indulgently at me. (Nowadays, my conscience does not object if I worship dressed more casually.)
How do we react to Christian people whose conscience is more sensitive than others’, especially about something we think of as minor? In Paul’s day, perhaps some believers could not bring themselves to eat meat that had passed through pagan temple processes. Or perhaps opinions varied about whether observing certain days, eg for prayer or fasting (vs 2,5), was helpful or unhelpful.
Don’t think worse of a believer whose conscience is different from yours, says Paul (vs 3,10). Rather, show them respect for wanting the best (v 6). The Lord knows their heart. We must not get above ourselves. Who are we to set ourselves up as judge of someone else’s conscience? We and they are all answerable to God (vs 11,12).
Respond
Think of someone you know who has a different opinion from you on some aspect of conscience. Determine not to fall out over it!
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 13,14; Luke 18
Pray for Scripture Union
Ask God to bless, refresh and inspire the SU Mission Through Sports Team as they support Faith Guides using sport to connect and journey with children and young people. (This week's prayers relate to this story in Connecting You.)
