Oh, just look at them!

Stop passing judgment on one another.” Romans 14:13
A glass of wine or not a glass of wine? To dance or not to dance? To work on Sunday or not to work on Sunday? To play cards or not to play cards? Let’s face it, we tend to feel strongly about our personal preferences regarding what Christians should and should not do. And, when others violate our spiritual preferences, the criticizing begins!

Sounds familiar?

Paul says, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5). He continued, “He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God” (v.6). Simply put, each of us should be convinced that what we are doing can be done to please the Lord. When we think that our point of view on personal preferences is the only point of view, we start criticizing.

So what’s the solution?

Stop passing judgment on one another” (Romans 14:13). Some matters of personal preference are just that—personal, which means that it’s between that person and God. Rather than using our preferences as a spiritual whipping post, we must give room for others to express a different opinion and still love them as Jesus does.

When we know that something we feel is okay might endanger another’s walk with Jesus, then it’s up to us to love them enough to yield our preferences for the sake of their well-being.

And that’s the bottom line:

Love.