Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / October 23 - Romans 14

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October 23 - Romans 14 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is Thursday.
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  It's the 23rd of October. Thank you for inviting me into
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  your day so that you and I can touch base with our God through
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  His Word and hear what He has to share with us today.
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  And reading through books like Romans, these New Testament
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  epistles, it's not like reading the stories of the Old
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  Testament, is it? It's not like we're following
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  along the narrative. And it's all easy to follow.
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  But sometimes these chapters can feel really dense with all of
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  these sentences that we hear often in isolation, but put
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  together, boy, it is a lot to take in.
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  So rather than feeling bad or berating yourself or thinking I
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  need to capture all of this in this moment, just let these
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  words wash over you. And if something from the Bible
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  reading just speaks to you, then just hold on to that one thing
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  and reflect on that through the day.
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  We read together everyday, friends, so that this can
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  punctuate our days, so that God's words can flow through our
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  ears into our hearts, and bit by bit it can transform us.
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  So choose the bit that you need for your own transformation and
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  let that be yours today. Holy Spirit, let us find your
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  truth in this reading to shape us to be more like you.
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  Let's do it, friends. Let's read Romans chapter 14.
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  Accept other believers who are weakened faith and don't argue
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  with them about what they think is right or wrong.
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  For instance, one person believes it's all right to eat
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  anything, but another believer with a sensitive conscience will
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  eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat
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  anything must not look down on those who don't, And those who
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  don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God
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  has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone
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  else's servants? Their own master will judge
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  whether they stand or fall, and with the Lord's help they will
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  stand and receive His approval. In the same way, some think one
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  day is more holy than another day, while others think every
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  day is alike. You should each be fully
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  convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
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  Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honour Him.
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  Those who eat any kind of food do so to honour the Lord, since
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  they give thanks to God before eating, and those who refuse to
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  eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks
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  to God. For we don't live for ourselves
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  or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honour the
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  Lord, and if we die, it's to honour the Lord.
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  So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
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  Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, to be Lord
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  both of the living and of the dead.
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  So why do you condemn another believer?
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  Why do you look down on another believer?
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  Remember, we will all stand before the judgement seat of
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  God. For the Scriptures say, as
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  surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bend to me and
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  every tongue will declare allegiance to God.
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  Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.
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  So let's stop condemning each other.
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  Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause
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  another believer to stumble and fall.
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  I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that
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  no food in and of itself is wrong to eat.
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  But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it
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  is wrong. And if another believer is
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  distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you
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  eat it. Don't let your eating ruin
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  someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticised
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  for doing something you believe is good.
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  For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink,
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  but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy
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  Spirit. If you serve Christ with this
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  attitude, you will please God and others will approve of you
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  too. So then, let us aim for harmony
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  in the church and try to build each other up.
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  Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat.
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  Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to
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  eat something if it makes another person stumble.
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  It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else
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  if it might cause another believer to stumble.
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  You may believe there's nothing wrong with what you were doing,
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  but keep it between yourself and God.
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  Blessed are those who don't feel guilty for doing something they
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  have decided is right. But if you have doubts about
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  whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning.
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  If you go ahead and do it for you are not following your
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  convictions. If you do anything you believe
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  is not right, you are sinning. Jesus, you want us to be unified
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  together. You want us to build each other
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  up and not criticise each other for being different.
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  You know that latched deep, hooked deep into our sinful
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  nature is this way of criticism, is this way of seeing how others
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  are different and not liking it. Lord, I pray that you in your
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  transformation of us and in Your Holy Spirit's work in us, that
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  we would not focus on the differences between us, but that
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  we would see each other in the light of You.
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  But we are all fellow sons and daughters of a living God.
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  Brothers and sisters of our loving Saviour, Thank you for
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  all you have done for us. Thank you for the love you have
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  for us. Thank you for the lives you give
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  us, the family, the friends, the good things that you bless our
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  lives with. Our Lord, I pray that we would
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  share them and enjoy them in community so that together we
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  can spur each other on toward You and toward a life of service
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  of Your Kingdom. Rather than following the
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  world's way of pulling down those that are different.
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  We commit ourselves to You. We offer ourselves to You as the
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  living sacrifice that can Live Today in submission to You and
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  your ways. We ask this in your name, Jesus,
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  Amen.