Devotional by Raul Ries

Stumbling a Brother

Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 14:16-17

Paul wrote the entire chapter of Romans 14 about eating and drinking. If you make someone stumble, you are guilty. You are guilty for what happens to the person you stumble. Wow, that is heavy stuff—eating or drinking can bring judgment.

Remember, in that culture, they used to eat meat offered to idols. They would buy it after it was offered at the temples. The meat was taken to the market to sell. Christians would buy the meat because it meant nothing to them, but if someone came to the house to eat, and they found out it was pagan meat, they would be stumbled. So, they had to check it before they bought it. Why? There were weaker brothers and sisters in the Lord.

You have to know your boundaries. Think of how many people keep away from the power of God for a little sin in their lives—smoking, drinking, watching dirty movies, whatever it is. These little things can become big things. The little sins in life can kill you as easily as the big sins.

It is really important we understand God has these things for us, so we are careful of the things we do. If you want to be used by God, you need to have holy hands and a holy life.

The secret of clean living is clear thinking.
~John R. W. Stott~