Romans 14:19

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

Personal Challenge

Paul was such an amazing man and clearly an example to follow. He lived in a day when one of the most ruthless governments was in control of the known world of his day, the Roman empire. On top of that he was under the jurisdiction of the local government and religious governing intstitutions in Jerusalem and Israel. Corruption was rampant. Persecution was at its height. And yet Paul did not rebel against the institutions of the world for he knew that his citizenship was in heaven. To the contrary, he worked within the government institutions in order to share the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout his world. What a valuable lesson for me today, to know and trust that God has placed me right where I am in time, in geography, and in social structure, so that He can use me to glorify Him and not magnify me.

Romans 14:12-13

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

Personal Challenge

How can I become a stumbling block or a cause to fall in my brother’s life? One very easy way is to judge them for their beliefs or life practices. Another is to be so vocal about my beliefs or life practices so as to misrepresent my Lord. Whether it be my position on politics or the people in politics, the church or the people in the church, my opinions on our society or the people in our society, if my voice on these things is so loud and strong that it makes others believe that my personal opinion is what Jesus teaches, then I have professed a false gospel and caused my brother to stumble and to fall. The only message that both my words and my actions should be proclaiming is the love of God for His creation and the work of Christ to redeem us from our sin and death. Everything else should be kept silent and personal. No wonder so many early church fathers and saints of the desert encourage silence over speaking. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Romans 14:7-10

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Personal Challenge

I am not alone in this world. I am connected to every other human being because we all carry the image of God within us. Because of this, no matter what I do, it is for the Lord, both the good and the bad. If I do good for my brother, or to him, then I am doing it for, or to Christ. If I treat my brother badly, then that too, I do to my Lord. Whether it be by my word or my deed then I must always see Christ in our midst.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

Encouraging Words

How come Jesus has more responsibilities in this relationship than we do? If we die to self and endure the battles of life for Him, then we can live with Him and even reign with Him. But if we become faithless, He remains faithful to us. This is because when we chose to follow Him and were baptized and chrismated into Him, then He took up His dwelling place within us. This is why He cannot deny Himself. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your commitment to us, and me!

Isaiah 29:13

So the Lord said, “These people draw near to Me and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and they worship Me in vain, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.”

Personal Challenge…

Oh, how easy it is to slip into the mode of preaching and teaching about Christ and what we should be doing as His followers and yet not practice what we are saying in our own hearts and lives. God judges my heart and He knows what the truth is within me. This is why it is so important for me to worry about my own life in Christ and not about everyone else’s. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Isaiah 28:16

therefore, thus says the Lord: “Behold, I lay for the foundations of Zion a costly stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone for its foundations, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”

Encouraging Words

From the beginning of eternity, God had chosen His Son to be the cornerstone that humanity would be built upn in order for us to be in relationship with Himself. Man was created through Christ in His image and likeness. Then after man exercised his free will and fell from the presence of God. Christ was once again built upon through the law and the prohets to teach us of our need for a Redeemer. Finally after the law and the prophets were rejected, once again Christ became the cornerstone through His incarnation, death, burial, and resurection. He once and for all laid Himself down to be the cornerstone for our eternal relationship with God. Glory be to Him!

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Encouraging Words

What is time to the one Who is eternal? What is lovew in relationship to time? God, our creator, our sustainer, the lover of mankind, desires so much for us to be in relationship with Him that He suffers long waiting for us to turn to Him in repentance and become His child. Am I not asked to love others this way as well, so that they might experience the love of God?

1 John 5:10-12

Proverbs 12:1

He who loves instruction loves perception,
But he who hates correction is without discernment.

Personal Challenge

Why is it so difficult to take correction or instruction from another? For me, I believe it all boils down to pride. I want to be right. I want to believe that I know what is best for me and others. This, however, is as sinful and unrepentant attitude. For what is at the root of true repentance? Hearing correction, accepting it, and then changing my behavior. Oh, how many times have I hurt those around me by not practicing this teaching and being a lover of instruction. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!