Unashamed Reading Plan

Prayer

Allow some silence for your soul to catch up with your body. Thank God for time to spend with Him and ask Him to meet with you.

Bible Reading: Romans 14:10-23

Read these verses three times slowly.

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. It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Reflection & Questions

There is a lot of contempt in the world these days. Contempt means “the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless or deserving of scorn.” In the world, we see contempt from one political party towards another, one race towards another, one country to another, etc. It is amazing how differences of opinions can rise to the level of showing contempt for each other. Among Christians this should never be, but unfortunately, Paul has to address this for the Roman church, and truth is, we’re no different today.

It is not for us to show contempt for another. Nor are we given the seat of a judge to discern who is saved and who is condemned. Paul is clear: “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.” Paul isn’t meaning that there are not times when we have to discern what is right and wrong, but that we are to be careful with matters that are disputable. When someone might hold a position that seems weaker or immature, we shouldn’t flaunt our strength, but humbly love them and treat their conscience with respect. In Paul’s day, there were some who regarded some food unclean, because of what God had said in the Old testament. Others thought all food was clean. Paul was clear, put love first in this situation. “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.” It is interesting to think what we might substitute for food in this verse. “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of ___________” Worship style… Politics… Theological viewpoint… Style of dress… There are a myriad of matters that we can show contempt to one another about. This is not love, and how shameful it would be to destroy the work of God over such a thing.

1. Why do you think people end up showing contempt for one another?
2. What word or phrase in these verses helps you in treating fellow believers with love?

Prayer

Talk to God in response to today’s reading.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today: