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Topic: Edification Through Peaceful Conduct
[DCLM Daily Manna 25 December 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Romans 14:10-22
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Key Verse: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” – (Romans 14:19).
MESSAGE:
The philosophy of the world is that to win the peace, you have to prepare for war. It explains why both the superpowers and the small nations across the globe address issues of global peace through a deadly arms’ race and the maintenance of huge armed forces. Even poverty-wracked countries are not spared. They spend more money on readiness for internal and international conflicts than on infrastructure critical to the welfare of their peoples. This has made the planet an insecure habitation and a time bomb waiting to blow up at the push of a button.
But the world is nowhere near peace because we have not followed the counsel of God according to the key verse. Certainly, heavy weaponry, light arms, nuclear armory and militarised civilian communities cannot produce peace. They make for more suspicion and further impoverish the poor nations.
The epistle to the Romans was written to believers who were being reminded that even if they were among the heathen, they were expected to follow in the footsteps of their Lord, the Prince of Peace. They must be like Him in their relationship with each other. If their unbelieving neighbours provoked them, they were to respond with overtures of peace.
That is the missing link in the world which the Lord wants the Christians to supply. The world is giving its own lethal provisions that cannot edify but destroy. The Lord has given us two infinitely more powerful weapons to subdue those provisions. First, He wants us to be uncompromising in our righteousness and show unfeigned love to one another. Secondly, He wants us to “follow after the things which make for peace.”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Reach for peace through Jesus.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 4-6
