FUNDAMENTALS OF CHRISTIAN MATURITY (I)
“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1 NIV
One of the most considerate and Christlike things a believer can do is discern when one of their sinless liberties may become a hindrance to a fellow brother or sister much younger in the faith—and, for that reason, willingly refrain.
This is by no means an act of hypocrisy, as some may assume. Rather, it is an act of compassion. It is the fruit of spiritual understanding that restrains us from becoming the cause of another person’s premature retreat from the pursuit of what is ethical and divine.
In Matthew 18:6, Jesus puts this truth into clear emphasis, stating that it would be better for the one who causes a little one to stumble to have a millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the sea than to face God’s judgment for such an offense. This sharp warning reveals how deeply God values the preservation of the earliest seeds of faith and how carefully they are meant to be guarded.
Child of God, may it never be said of you that in exercising your liberties, you were reckless or thoughtless toward those around you.
Prayer: My Father, I thank you for this truth. I thank you for the strength you have given me through Christ, and for the wisdom that teaches me how to walk in love toward one another. Guard my heart from selfishness, and teach me to value the spiritual well-being of others above the exercise of my pwn liberties. May my freedom never become a stumbling block, but a testimony of maturity, restraint, and compassion. May it be said of me that I steward the faith you are forming in others with reverence and care, just as you have patiently done with me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
CI.
RELATED RESOURCES
• Romans 14:13
• Galatians 6:2
• 1 Thessalonians 5:14
