Romans 14

The Explanation

Imagine two friends sitting at the same table. One of them eats everything on his plate, even meat. The other only eats vegetables, because he is not sure if the meat is right for him. Paul writes about this in his letter, because in the church some people were arguing about it. "Don't let him who eats despise him who doesn't eat," Paul says. And the other way around too, the vegetable eater must not judge the one who eats meat. Some people also thought one day was more special than another. Others thought every day was the same. Paul says: whatever you do, do it for the Lord. If you eat, thank God for it. If you don't eat something, that is fine too, as long as you do it for God. "None of us lives to himself," Paul writes, "for if we live, we live to the Lord."

What Does This Mean?

Picture a king who has many servants. One servant polishes shoes, another cooks bread, another guards the gate. Would one servant have the right to say to another, "Your job is wrong, you should do mine"? No. Each servant answers to the king, not to the other servants. Paul says something like that here. "Who are you who judge another's servant? To his own lord he stands or falls." God is the King. Every believer belongs to him. That means you don't get to decide whether someone else is doing a good enough job for God. That is God's business, not yours.

The Common Thread

Why does this matter so much? Because of Jesus. "Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living." Jesus is the reason we belong to God at all. He did not die so we could fight about food or days. He died so we could live with him, forever, as his own people. One day everyone will stand before him. "Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess to God." That is not a scary courtroom scene where God is looking for reasons to punish you. It is the moment everyone finally sees clearly who Jesus really is, the true King over everything.

For You

So what do you do when a friend does something differently than you? Maybe your friend prays differently, or does not eat the same things, or has different rules at home. Paul says, don't look down on him. And don't judge him either. Instead, think about what makes peace and what builds him up. Imagine your friend is carrying a full glass of water across the room. You would not stick out your foot to trip him. Paul says something similar: don't put a stumbling block in your brother's way. You can choose your words and your actions so they help someone stand, instead of making them fall. That is something even a seven-year-old can do today, at the table, on the playground, at church.

Talk About It

Can you think of something a friend does differently than you, like eating, praying, or playing? How could you be kind about that instead of judging?

Paul says we all belong to the same King, Jesus. What difference does it make to know that God is the one who judges, not you?

Praying Together

Dear God, thank you that Jesus died and rose so we could belong to you. Help me not to judge my friends when they do things differently than me. Teach me to build others up instead of tripping them up. Thank you that you are the King who takes care of all your people. Amen.