Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 69:6-12
Ps 69:6-12
May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel. For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother's sons; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.
Rom 14:15-18
If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
“What I do is my business and is no concern for others.” “I don’t care what others may think about me, I will do what I want to do.” These and other similar things I have heard said many times over the years. While we certainly need to stand for what we believe to be right with God, there are many, many things that are just matters choice and not necessary for me to do. These can be left undone if they will cause someone to stumble in their faith and their life for the Lord.
We are to set a good example for others to follow. We are not to influence a weak brother or sister to do anything that would go against their conscience. Not every liberty that God has given needs to be taken if it may harm someone else. There are times that we must consider the conscience of others and not just ourselves.
But no matter how hard we try to be a good influence, there will be some who will criticize us and our actions. There are times that we must do what we believe to be right and stand against the crowd (or even the single critic). We must keep a good conscience ourselves and not go against it to please others. Paul stood for his beliefs and he yielded his liberties, depending on the situation. We can too.
O Lord God, give me wisdom to know when to stand and when to yield. Give me humility to yield when needed and strength to stand, no matter who may oppose me and no matter what they may do to me. Help me always act from a heart of love and concern for others and their salvation. Help me follow the example of Jesus and to consider others better than myself and to look out for their interest, not just my own. Forgive me when I fail. Thank you, Lord, for all of the wonderful people and enjoyable things you have put in my life. In Jesus name I pray.
Robert
