Faith & Love: A One Year Bible Reading Plan - Part 2Sýnishorn

Reading Romans 14, it is apparent that people are different. Different opinions, convictions, beliefs, and religious traditions. In Romans 14, they were divided and judged by eating or drinking this and not that.

Today we may not be facing the same religious traditions, but we may get caught up in external divisions such as what we do or what we own, etc. It is often too easy for us to focus on and judge these external matters rather than what God is doing internally. Paul reminds us that these matters/traditions do not define our relationship with God but rather our internal state in the Holy Spirit.

We are a family on mission - not on a mission to point out or correct the religious traditions of others, but on a mission as City Changers to bring Faith, Hope, and Love into our city and those beside us.

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17). These three should be our focus as City Changers:

• Righteousness in the form of spiritual Faith - faith in God and God alone.
• Peace in the form of systemic Hope, restoring systems that no longer function as they should within cities and those living in them.
• Joy in the form of social Love - to love others as God loves us.

What can we learn from Romans 14?

Be generous with love towards others. After all, they are accountable to God, not to you.

An acronym we can use is J.O.Y. - “Jesus, Others, You.” Judging and criticising, even with the best intentions, can become destructive and should be resisted in favour of building up and encouraging each other in Christ.