Daily Butter 11/8: Community

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/8/11):

 

Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another, ….

…

So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.

(Romans 14:13a, 19 HCSB)

 

This segment of Paul’s writing is specifically about differences in convictions on diet and about being considerate of our brothers and sisters (which was being done poorly in the church at Rome).  While the specifics of the instructions to the Romans was for that time and culture, it is the principle that ought not be thrown out. I thought Joe Stowell’s comments in today’s ODB  pictured it pretty well. I chose to highlight these bookends of the focus passage because it points out that rather than a dogmatic focus on “the right way” (which always seems to be fraught with pride since of course “my way” is THE right way), our focus needs to shift from self to be truly considerate of one another. It also points out the fact that it is not enough to stop going in a detrimental direction, but effort must be made to do “what builds up one another.”

 

- Andy Jentes