Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of Casting Crowns singing … Broken Together … poignantly singing of how we must overcome our selfishness and our desire to control … and our differences … be broken souls, healed by the love of God.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 14:12-13 [NKJV] … 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
… We must avoid making judgement on a brother’s or sister’s character in the midst of differences; but rather know that we all will, in the end, be judged by Christ and His character alone.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans, Chapter 14 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, trying to help Christians in dispute to rise above their disputes and honor God’s law of love above their differences.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NKJV] … 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. ..."
… In all our pursuits, we must learn to deny our own ways and follow Christ’s.
Reference Passage : … John 14:21 [NKJV] … 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
… If we follow Christ’s commandments, in spite of our differences His ways will prevail in and thru us.
Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 [NKJV] …USE THIS LINK …
… Love always prevails over our differences.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, used a personal illustration to point to biblical handling of our differences. The ODB author writes … I remember hearing my dad talk about how difficult it was to walk away from unending arguments over differing interpretations of the Bible. By contrast he recalled how good it was when both sides agreed to disagree.
But is it really possible to set aside irreconcilable differences when so much seems to be at stake?
And yes, … it is possible; and that’s what the Apostle Paul was addressing to fellow Christians in Rome who were squabbling over what day to worship and which foods can or cannot be eaten, arguments over religious traditions, rather than pursuits of love which promote Christlikeness. And it is to the latter end which we, as Christians should be pursuing.
It’s so easy to let ego and pride get in the way of following Christ, in which all Christians are commanded to deny our own opinions and simply follow His ways (see Luke 9:23 and John 14:21). And when we do the latter we’ll all be dictated by God’s law of love (see 1Cor. 13).
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your LAW OF LOVE through Your Son.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that I (we) set aside petty pride and follow Your ways, the way of love … ALWAYS!! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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