August 2
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THE DANGER WITH CRITICISM
A poem by ILMA
Why do you condemn another believer or look down on some of them?
Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God
Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God; stop condemning others
Instead to live in such a way that you will not cause anyone to stumble.
On the authority of the Lord Jesus, no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat
But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person, it is
And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, it is not loving
Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink
It is living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and build each other up.
Don’t tear apart God’s work over what you eat; all foods are suitable
It is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble
You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing
If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
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MEMORY VERSE
Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So, let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. – Romans 14:12-13
Read: Romans 14:10-23
It is automatic for us to criticize instead of affirm and encourage. The danger with criticism is that it will definitely destroy relationships. No one wants to be with someone who’ll constantly criticize them and make themselves feel inadequate. We don’t want to be judged so, we need to let judgment be God’s work, not ours.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think it is easy for us to criticize rather than encourage?