I was reading over Romans 14 and was reminded about the "bottom line" of our Christian walk. It's found in verse 17.
“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
(Rom 14:17 NLT)
For some the message you need to hear around this verse is, don't major on the minor issues of what you or others eat or drink (or any other religious law) but rather, focus on living out of the very life of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is expressing the life of Christ in everything we do and everywhere we go. If you're saying, I already understand that and I'm free and don't abide by all those rules and regulations on what I eat, drink, etc. Well, there is another message here perhaps for you. Are you the one who is repeatedly "breaking the religious rules" to make a point about God's grace? Take a look at verses 15 & 20 (I just picked out a few verses here but read the whole passage, it's a great message).
“And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.”
(Rom 14:15 NLT)
“Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble.”
(Rom 14:20 NLT)
You don't need to have a kind of "in your face" grace approach exclaiming your freedom to those who "just don't quite get it". Now, there may be a time where you do need to take a stand on God's grace and freedom in the church, but I'm talking everyday life here. The general rule of thumb when it comes to personal relationships with those who do not understand God's incredible gift of grace for living is simply more "grace". What does that look like? We're to act "in love", even to the point of refraining from a freedom we think is perfectly fine to protect our relationship with other believers. It's a humble, accepting and encouraging approach to those who might differ with us. Limiting your freedom on behalf of another is not a compromise of grace but more a sacrifice of love. Allow Christ to love through you...at times, it will be a sacrifice.
