Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 14

Highlight Verse:

“Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I like the wording in this verse. To “tear apart” is more intentional than “destroy” in other versions.

Whichever version it is, this chapter addresses the idea of eating meat that was sacrificed to pagan gods. Paul is basically saying, it’s okay to eat that meat if you aren’t worshipping the idols, but if some see you eat that meat, they may think it’s okay to worship the idols.

Not really a problem today.

Today we have our own problems.

Recovering alcoholics may see you drink and stumble back into drinking.

Someone who struggles with lust may see you watch certain movies and stumble back into lust.

We all have our weaknesses. This chapter points out that we should not judge others for their weaknesses. Instead, we should be careful not to do things that could cause them confusion or moral difficulty.

In other words, be considerate of others.

Are there things that you struggle with that others seem to have freedom to do?
What thoughts do you have about how your behavior affects others?