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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
May 10
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Today's Pathway:
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Today I am going to do something that I have not done previously. I want to take a second look at the section we have just finished. Starting with Romans 14:1 Paul has been discussing how to deal with differences of opinions among church members concerning issues that are not clearly spelled out in the Bible. As we saw yesterday, he concludes by telling believers that they ought to receive one another (verse 7). However, in the course of teaching this truth, Paul also has given several principles that can help Christians determine whether or not they ought to be involved in certain "questionable" activities. We have touched on these as we have gone through this section, but I want to pull them all together at this time.
There are six principles for dealing with "doubtful" issues given in these verses. The first is "Do I have any doubts about what I'm doing?". Romans 14:5 says,
"Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."
If I am not convinced in my own heart that the course of action I am considering taking is correct, then I shouldn't do it. The Holy Spirit will lead me, and He will be at work in my conscience, so if I have doubts, then I shouldn't participate. The second principle is this: "Am I doing this unto the Lord?". Romans 14:6 says,
"He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it".
In other words, we should be making our decisions based upon what the Lord wants, with little regard to what we may want. Every choice should be filtered through this question: am I doing this because I believe it will please the Lord? If the Lord's will is not my motivation, then I shouldn't make that choice. The third principle is found in Romans 14:10. That verse states,
"for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."
This goes along with principle number 2. I need to consider how my actions will be viewed when I stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. When God's fire falls on my choices (I Corinthians 3:12-14), will they be burned up like "wood, hay, and stubble", or will they have eternal value like "gold, silver, and precious stones" ?
The first principle dealt with my conscience. Principles 2 and 3 dealt with what God thinks about my choices. The final three principles deal with how our actions impact others. The fourth principle is this: will my choice make my brother stumble? In Romans 14:21 Paul writes,
"It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."
I need to look ahead before I make my choices and see if my actions might hinder the spiritual growth of someone else. Principle 5 is a corollary to this. Not only do I need to make sure that my brother doesn't stumble as a result of my actions, I also need to ask myself if my choices are actually going to help him grow stronger and more mature. Romans 15:2 reads,
"Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification."
We dare not harm our brother, but we should not be neutral towards him either. Every choice I make needs to be made with my Christian brother's spiritual edification in mind. It's not enough not to harm him; I need to be helping him. Finally, principle 6 is taught in Romans 15:6, which says,
"That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God".
The criterion here is unity. Is my choice on this questionable issue going to result in bringing our church closer to God and closer to each other, or is it going to divide us, and maybe drive some folks away from the Lord?
We are all faced with choices every day. Applying these six principles will help us to choose wisely.
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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