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Click here to listen to this post! So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14:12). Over the years, I've heard and used different variations of this phrase: "You can't control how other people respond. You can only manage..." and then I complete the statement with something like: "your own behavior", "your reaction", "your engagement." You get...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unityamong yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouthyou may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters (Romans 14:1). let us stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13a). If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love (Romans 14:15a). The center, circumference, essence, magnetism of our faith is the love of God ...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! It's God we are answerable toall the way from life to death and everything in betweennot each other. That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.Romans 14:8,9 (MSG) In exploring how to Disagree Deeply, L...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.Each of us should please our neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christdid not please himself (Romans 15:1-3) Who gets to be pleased? Whose preferences prevail? Is it "my way or the highway"or is there another, better way? In Romans ...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! "Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister." Romans 14:13b Is it just me, or do you ever want to say, "But my way is better"? Do you feel the longer you've done something, the more expert you feel? I've been grading compositions for years now; my system works best. I raised two childr...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! So whatever you believe about these [disputable matters], keep between yourself and God Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you " (Romans 14:22, 15:7). This week we will conclude our series Disagree Deeply, Love Deeper Still. But perhaps it's better to say that we're only just beginning to grapple with this matter of how we can ...
Keep ReadingTo listen to this post click here! No good tree bears bad fruit nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the ove...
Keep ReadingTo listen to this post click here! "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers (Luke 6:43, 44). I spent a few summers during college working at a fruit experiment station. There were all kinds of varieties of fruit grown there for research pu...
Keep ReadingTo listen to this post click here! No good tree bears bad fruit nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the ove...
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