Day 231: Don't Be a Stumbling Block

(I apologize for the lateness, it has been a long night and a very long day.) 

Romans 14:13

So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

Romans 14:19

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

This week we’ve talked about deciding what is right for us, and not judging people who choose to live their lives differently than we do. Today I want to talk about how we can sometimes become a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters in Christ when we choose to do certain things. Many times it isn’t intentional, we don’t get up with the mindset of causing someone to stumble. Many times it’s the way we act towards our fellow Christians and how we treat them because we don’t agree with their decisions or lifestyles.  The main point I want to stress here today is, don’t do anything that will cause your neighbor to fall. One example being, if we decide for ourselves that it is okay to drink alcohol, the right thing to do would be to abstain from it around someone who is a recovering alcoholic. It is the Christian thing to do. We must learn to lift one another up and do all we can to contribute to someone’s growth.

I love that the scripture starts off by saying, “Let’s stop condemning each other…”. This is so important because one, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Second, from what I have experienced in my life, a lot of condemnation stems from unnecessary judgement, selfish desires, and ulterior motives. We often do things in the name of Jesus in order to “improve the body of Christ” when it’s really just a selfish way to improve our image as a Christian. Things have been said and done to people that should never be said or done. We never really know what someone is going through, or why they have made the decisions they have made. We don’t know why someone’s lifestyle looks the way it does. So to condemn someone because we don’t agree with them or their lifestyle is a bit childish. We are not here to pressure or guilt our neighbors into living the same exact life we have chosen to live. We are here to love people, no matter who or what they are.  I believe there is something much bigger than whether we agree or disagree, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that people are not turned away by your judgemental face and comments. What matters is that we put someone’s soul before our opinions. What matters is that we do not become the obstacle someone has to get over in order to get to Christ. It’s much deeper than just not drinking so your friend doesn’t feel like they’re going to relapse. We’re talking about people’s souls here and how we can either contribute to their growth in Christ or be the reason they stumble.

While it remains true that we all get to choose the lifestyle we want to live and that looks different for all of us but at the end of the day we are all one body, We work together, we function as one body. We cannot have the hands falling while the head is sitting high and mighty. We must work together and live together in harmony. We must learn to put our differences aside because they don’t matter and live to serve Christ. That is our common purpose, we are followers of Christ. No matter what, at the end of the day we all follow one God, live off of one Word, and believe in one Gospel.

All this to say, we are to live in harmony with one another and lift each other up. While we are living our own lives and making our own choices, be mindful of how they affect others, We can sometimes be a stumbling block without realizing it. Just because we are living our best lives and choosing to do what we have decided is right for us does not mean that we forget that there's a whole other world out there. There are other people who need us to lift them up, pray for them, and not cause them to stumble.

Reflection/Prayer Time

Take the time to respond and have a conversation with God. Respond however you feel led, and talk to God about that response. You can talk to God about how you may have been a stumbling block to others or how others have been a stumbling block to you. Ask God to remove those specific blocks from our path. Pray for the body of Christ that we will live in harmony with one another.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for day 232!