Who's The Boss?

REFERENCE: Romans 14:1-4 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don´t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it´s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don´t. And those who don´t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else´s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord´s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.

Observation: Sadly, this verse is violated all the time in the Church of Jesus Christ. Somehow so many of us, as Christians, feel like we not only know what is right for us, but what others ought to do as well. There is a distiction between sharing our views ("I think natural foods are best.", "Christians should not have tatoos.", "Believers should never drink alcohol.") and condemning others because they do not hold these same views.

The first and most important principle in our relationships is love--not "correctness". That is where we start, that is where we have to end. We need to recognize that there are some issues that the Bible does speak to clearly and we should, loving, challenge our close friends to live up to them. On there other hand, there are issues that the Bible does not define, and neither should we. We do not have a right to establish a standard that we put on others that God has not defined.

There may very well be issues that God has spoken to us about personally--things that He has told us to do or not to do. These are not to be set up as laws for everyone. If someone has had a problem with drinking in the past, God (and wisdom) may tell them to stay away from ever drinking any alcohol ever again. It is not a standard for everyone, it is a standard for them.

The key is the final paragraph in the verse above. We are each, individually, God's servants and it is His job--not others--to tell us what to do and not to do. We can not be God in other people's lives.

Application/Confession: Especially when it comes to parenting I have some definite opinions about how it ought to be done. It is easy for me to criticize other parents (even if it is just in my mind) for not raising their kids the way I think they ought to. Many of these issuses are not defined in the Word of God--they are just my opinion and I need to remember that and, more importantly, remember to love others and not "condemn" them, even just in my mind or heart.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to love others like You do. May I never hold myself out as being above them or judging them. It is before You that I, or they, stand or fall.