Give Thanks to God
Today’s passage: Romans 14:1–10
Focus verse: Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:6)
We may think today’s focus verse addresses being a vegetarian. It does not, at least not directly. The context is about eating meat offered to idols.
Idol worship was a huge issue during the time of the early church. Though we still may worship idols today, they are not physical idols we bow before and sacrifice animals to.
Today’s idols are figurative. We worship them with our time and attention, giving them priority in our lives, which pulls us away from God and dishonors him.
Some followers of Jesus felt it was wrong to eat meat sacrificed to idols. In their mind, this aligned them with the pagan practice and gave these false gods credibility.
Therefore, as a matter of conscience, they declined to eat the meat of animals sacrificed to these inert statues. They gave thanks to God for the food they ate, which didn’t come from idols.
Conversely, other followers of Jesus had no qualms about where their meat came from. They were not offering animal sacrifices to idols.
They were not taking part in the ceremony. By eating the meat afterward, they did not see themselves as endorsing the idol it came from. They gave thanks to God for their meat and savored it.
The result—which is too often the case when people disagree about spiritual practices—was to judge the other group. Each side looked down on the people whose practice didn’t align with theirs. They treated them with contempt.
With pride, each group held their heads high over their conclusion on how to handle this contentious matter.
With smug conviction, they dismissed those who held the opposite view. They judged the other with wrong motivations, dishonoring God in the process.
Today we seldom consider eating meat sacrificed to idols. Yet many other issues have arisen in how we practice our faith and worship our Lord.
To all these, we must apply Paul’s instructions about eating idol-sacrificed meat to today’s issues of faith. We honor God when we do so.
Back to our discussion of vegetarians. If you’re a vegetarian, don’t criticize those who eat meat. And if you eat meat, don’t look down on those who abstain. Instead, everyone should thank God for their food and withhold their judgment of others.
This applies to meat and to every other nonessential area of contention. Simply thank God and don’t criticize others.
Questions:
When have we wrongly judged someone whose actions didn’t align with ours?
When have we looked down on another follower of Jesus who held a doctrine different from our own?
Prayer: Jesus, give us eyes to see others as you see them. Show us how to withhold judgment. Instead, may we give you thanks for your provisions and your blessings.
[This devotional is taken from the November 12 reading in Thanksgiving with Jesus.]
Thanksgiving isn’t just a day—it’s a way of life. Let the 30-day devotional Thanksgiving with Jesus lead you into it. Then you can go deeper than the holiday.
Perfect for the Thanksgiving season or anytime you want to grow in gratitude.
Thanksgiving with Jesus is part of the beloved Holiday Celebration Devotionals Series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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