Devotions: What is the Point?

 

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

 

This chapter is talking about matters of conscience, issues that are not spelled out black and white in the Bible. Murder, obviously, is not one of these issues. The Bible says it is wrong to kill another person, period. Yet, there are other issues that are not so clear, like tattoos and piercings, eating pork or drinking alcohol. Some people have serious issues with them, others don’t have a problem. The point here is that our faith is not a matter of what we do, crossing off the boxes of what we did or did not do. If we are living for that, if it is more important than God Himself, then we have missed the point. If we do something that is ok for us but causes another person problems, and we do it knowing that but are not willing to take them into consideration, we have missed the point. I have no objections to eating pork, but I have a friend who does. I haven’t given it up because she doesn’t eat it, but I make sure not to serve it when she is in company so that I don’t cause her problems. The point of our faith is living in righteousness, making sure that we are living by the standards of faith God has placed on us, desiring to please and glorify Him in everything. It is also peace, taking others into consideration and not causing conflict or offense needlessly or wantonly. We should help them keep good conscience, not start fights or arguments over who is right. We should also take what we do into consideration and ask God if it is right for us to do it or if He would prefer that we don’t. It is also joy, remembering that the important thing is our salvation, the fact that Jesus died to give us freedom, so we should use our freedom wisely and to honor Him. We should not get caught up in petty, legalistic fights but keep the true prize and purpose in view. That is what matters. We should not be so caught up in our personal preferences that we cannot love someone with different opinions or convictions. That is pride not holiness. The Kingdom of God is loving God and others more than ourselves. And that means being willing to put off some things for their sake. What do you do? Why do you do it, because you can or because you believe it is right and honoring to God? Do you consider how your actions affect others? Take some time to consider and pray about these issues. Ask God for wisdom and discernment on how to live righteously with peace and joy.

 

 

 

 

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