Prayer Call: Welcomed by God

Greetings BFB Fam & Friends!

This morning's prayer call scripture focus is Romans 14:1-4 (NIV). You are encouraged to read Romans 14 in it's entirety during your devotional time this week.

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” - Romans 14:1-4 (NIV)

Paul’s letter to the Romans is often described as his greatest letter, and in chapter 14 we see him dealing with something very real: conflict inside the church. Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians were at odds over opinions and preferences—what foods could be eaten, what days were sacred, and more.

Paul reminds them—and us—that these disagreements were not matters of God's kingdom but of preference. These were not issues that concerned who was invited to God's table. And if we’re not careful, our opinions today can become the same kind of dividing lines. We begin to measure someone’s spirituality by whether or not they do things our way. When the reality is God has welcomed us all at His table.

When we look at these first 4 verses in Romans 14, we see that if we are not careful sometimes our preferences can lead to contempt and judgment. Paul was clear. Some of the people were looking down on others because of choices they made that weren’t necessarily wrong. One side despised while the other side judged and if we are not careful we’ll do the same things. We’ll begin to think if you don’t do it my way, you can be less spiritual. If you don’t share my tradition, you don’t really belong. Paul tries to stop all of that from the beginning by telling them this is contempt, judgment. You are arguing over opinions and that has no place in God’s kingdom or in God’s house.

Next we see that Paul is telling them God's welcome is greater than your preferences. Paul says it plainly in verse 3: “For God has accepted them.” That is the truth we all should stand on.  We don’t belong because of the traditions we have or our opinions, we belong because God made us. We belong because Jesus says we belong. We belong because God says I have accepted you. Paraphrasing this scripture from the Message Bible, it gives a picture of a table and says, “God invited both of them (meaning Jews & Gentiles). Who are we to cross people off of God’s guest list?” In other words it’s God’s table, it’s God’s kingdom – not ours – His welcome outweighs all of our preferences.

Not only can our preferences lead to contempt and judgment, not only is God’s welcome greater than our preference but we also see: God – not our preference – makes us stand. Paul closes verse 4 with a promise: “They will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” That’s good news! The reason any of us are standing today isn’t because of our own strength, titles, traditions, or accomplishments. We stand because of the Lord. And if He allows me to stand, He allows you to stand. We both are them and God is allowing all of us to stand. No one is greater than the other. No opinion is great than the other. No preference is greater than the other. We cannot allow our opinions and preferences be unwelcoming to people who are all allowed at God’s table. And if we’re not careful our preferences will become something worse – our self-righteousness. We’ll begin to measure people against what we do and what we think when the truth is it’s not our preference or opinion: It’s all God’s kingdom and He welcomes us all.

We are welcomed by God, not by our preferences. So here’s the question: Are our opinions and preferences dividing us where God is trying to unite us? Remember this truth as you walk through your week:

• God welcomed me.
• God welcomed you.
• God welcomed them.
• God welcomes us all.

And no matter what you face, it is the Lord who is going to allow us to stand.

Lord, thank You for welcoming us just as we are. Forgive us for the times we’ve allowed our preferences or opinions to get in the way of unity. Help us to see others the way You see them—accepted, loved, and welcomed at Your table. Teach us to extend the same grace that You’ve given us, and remind us that it is by Your strength alone that we stand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.