Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

10 December 2024

Reading From Romans 14-16

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The 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. Who 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.

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.”

–Romans 14:1-5

     The eternal family of God is made up of as many personalities as we have brothers and sisters and each one of us comes from unique circumstances and backgrounds.  I am grateful that we worship a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere at the same time that He is able to speak to all our hearts and guide us in ways that each of us are able to follow.  His gifts and His guidance are given in accordance with the measure of our faith and our ability to listen and obey.

     If God is gracious and compassionate to us, then we need to be that way toward our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  There are essentials to our faith that we all need to agree upon in order to be part of the same eternal family, but there are many matters which are disputable and non-essential.  In these non-essentials, we need to allow people freedom in faith and practice. 

     Every born again follower of Jesus is a prophet, priest and king or a prophetess, priestess and queen in the Kingdom of God through the authority of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  Therefore, each of us has the ability to hear from God, minister to our families and communities, and make decisions with the wisdom and knowledge we receive from Him.  Will this look the same in every life?  No.  Everyone is different but we all have the same God dwelling within us.  In Him we live and move and have our being.  We need to love one another and give one another the space need to grow in the Lord. Let’s have patience with one another and do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

“God, forgive us for trying to micromanage our brothers and sisters. I pray that You would give us the revelation, wisdom, and knowledge we need to determine what are essentials and non-essentials.  We need the power of discernment.  In everything, I pray that we would treat everyone with dignity, kindness, and respect.  Bring about greater understanding between brothers and sisters in Your eternal family.  I pray these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 

–Romans 14:13-15:2