EXPAND TO READ: ROMANS 14 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 1, 10): I do struggle quite often with judging others and sometimes even looking down on others. This isn’t the way You called me to live, nor is it fair because I have many faults of my own and should not be looking down on others just because their faults are possibly different from my own. Please forgive me for this judgmental nature of mine, Father. Help me to no longer live in my fleshly pride and selfishness so that I can be a better example of Your glory and Your kingdom in this life, Father.
PROMISE (verse 12): The promise You make here is both assuring to me but also scary. You promise us that we will ALL give an account for ourselves to You one day for the things we have done in this life. The reason this is assuring to me is because it helps me change my thoughts on my sin confession. What I mean by this is that I don’t need to look down on or judge others, because one day they will have to give an account for all their mistakes in this life to You directly. The reason this scares me is because I will also have to do this myself, which terrifies me because I have made so many mistakes in this life. Thank You for this promise of accountability, Father.
ATTITUDE (verse 13): Help me to be better with this attitude, Father. You tell us to no longer criticize one another so that we do not put stumbling blocks or pitfalls in their path. This has been a struggle of mine my entire life as I have always been extremely criticizing of others and judgmental. Please help me to be better with this attitude, Father, so that slowly but surely my attitude of criticism becomes far less and over time an attitude of love and understanding begins to overpower those faulted defaults of mine.
COMMAND (verse 19): Such a strong and amazing command here, that I have succeeded with at times, but one that I have probably failed at most of the time. You command us to pursue the things that promote peace and the things that build up one another. Oftentimes throughout my life I have done just the opposite, causing failures and mistakes both on my part as well as those around me. Help me to be a better encourager in this life, Father. Help me to be a more peaceful person so that I can be the catalyst to build up those around me.
EXAMPLE (verses 20-21): This is a great example that I never thought of before from a Biblical perspective, but it makes sense. The example You give us is to not do things in this life that cause those around us to stumble. The very first example that came to mind is someone who was addicted to alcohol for years and is in recovery trying their best to quit. I should not drink alcohol in front of them both out of respect for their life decisions, but also to ensure I am not a stumbling block for them. This doesn’t mean I choose to never drink alcohol in this example; rather it just means that I choose to respect the righteous decisions of those around me to ensure I am not the cause of any stumbles they have in their decisions for becoming a better person.
*DAILY NOTE: So many things to take from Romans 14. Thank You for an amazing conversation in relationship with me this morning, Father. Romans 14 spoke so deeply to me because pretty much the entire chapter has been a struggle of mine my entire life. I often do not promote peace in my relationships, I have typically been a very judgmental person, and I am often the cause of stumbling blocks for others. I know I can be better in this life as You have already shown Your great works in my just in the last several months of recovery. Please continue to open and pour into my heart and mind, Father, so that I can continue to improve in this life. I do not want to be the cause of turmoil, destruction, and mistakes to those around me nor to myself. I know that with Your help, I can be a better man as a whole for Your kingdom.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
Comments