Day 22 Accept One another

10/20- Monday Romans 14:1-12 1Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.  10You, 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. 11It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”12  So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Bonhoeffer: “He who would learn to serve must first learn to think little of himself.”

Thoughts: Part of Christian fellowship is helping one another when we are weak.  Ironically, it is those who think they do not need any help that detract and can even destroy the fellowship.  The weak in this case are people who are wrapped up in rules.  This could be people who are legalistic on the right (don’t drink, smoke, chew or go with girls who do- or other traditional rules), or people on the left (you must recycle, eat right, always tolerate).  Rules are not made for ourselves as individuals but for the good of all.  So obeying rules, while not a requirement for heaven, may be helpful for the fellowship family.  While we are accountable and judged by God, we are also called to be considerate of our family.  Those who are into rule keeping must be careful not to judge those they differ with (vs. 10).   

Prayer: Lord, may my love and kindness toward others be my ministry for you this day.  

A handshake in our day of Ebola fear is a sign of acceptance and welcome.