Love Reins Us In

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading, titled Love Arrains Us In, was written by Win Collier. Most young Samoan boys receive a tattoo signaling their responsibility to their people and their chief. Naturally, then, the marks cover the arms of the Samoan men's rugby team members. Traveling to Japan, where tattoos can carry negative connotations, the teammates realized their symbols presented a problem for their hosts. In a generous act of friendship, the Samoans wore skin-colored sleeves covering the designs. We're respectful and mindful to the Japanese way, the team captain explained.

We'll be making sure that what we're showing will be okay. In an age emphasizing individual expression, it's remarkable to encounter self-limitation, a concept Paul wrote about in the book of Romans. He told us that love sometimes requires us to lay down our rights for others. Rather than pushing our freedom to the boundaries, sometimes love reigns us in. The apostle explained in chapter 14 how some people in the church believed they were free to eat anything, but others ate only vegetables. While this might seem like a minor issue, in the first century, adherence to Old Testament dietary laws was controversial. Paul instructed everyone to stop passing judgment on one another before concluding with particular words for those who ate freely.

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. At times, loving another means limiting our own freedoms. We don't have to always do everything we're free to do. Sometimes, love reigns us in. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Romans chapter 14, verses 1 through 13. 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. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God. And whoever abstains does so to the Lord, and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life, so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

You then, why do you judge your brother or sister, or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written, As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me, every tongue will acknowledge God. So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. 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.

Let's pray. Dear God, We are called to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord. No matter where we are in our faith journey, whether new to the faith or seasoned and mature, we all have a role to play. If we're young in Christ, help us seek advice from those stronger and more mature. If we've been believers for a long time and are wise, help us to be a support and an instructor to those who aren't. In all we do, may we be humble and considerate of one another, loving one another as you love us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.