To each His own

So, stick with me through this... actually read this scripture, and absorb it.



Romans 14:1-13

¹ Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. ² For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. ³ Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.

⁵ In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. ⁶ Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. ⁷ For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. ⁸ If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

¹⁰ So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹ For the Scriptures say,

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’”

¹² Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. ¹³ 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.

So I've been having some issues lately in the conviction area. I'm very passionate about certain convictions I have, and since I feel God is talking to me about those things, I want to tell others. Why hold back something that could help someone else? One area that I have really felt convicted in is bathing suits. I know, that sounds "stupid" to some people, but it really doesn't to me. Some of the bathing suits girls wear are no different than their bra and underwear. If you wouldn't wear that out in public, why would you wear something exactly the same but made out of different material? It's just baffling to me. And not because I don't think the girls have the right motives while wearing the bathing suits, it's just that the amount of flesh that is revealed can cause another person to fall. Most guys like to drool over girls in their bikinis... is that something to be proud of? The lust that the guy is feeling might make a girl feel pretty for a moment... but in the end his blood is on your hands because you made him stumble.

Maybe you think I'm taking the Bible too literally, maybe you think I'm too uptight. Well, maybe I am. God didn't write the Bible to just give us ideas of how to live. He's telling us how to live. And He hasn't called us to be wishy washy, He has called us to stand strong in our convictions and our faith.

I say all of this to lead to a point... of course: lately I've felt very discouraged by fellow believers when it comes to my convictions. Now, I will admit that I was wrong. I believed that everyone was convicted about the same things; or at least should be. But they are not convicted at the same time for the same reasons. And also, I need to be more willing to understand why people aren't convicted as I am. As the scripture states, we all come from different backgrounds. We all have a story that leads up to this day and it is different from the person next to us. Therefore we may see things differently. I just wish instead of my friends saying "oh I see it from your point of view, but I don't agree" - they would see it from my point of view and actually think about it. Think about why I feel the way I do. Think about what their actions may be doing to others, you know? And the discouragement hasn't been too brutal. I just feel like instead of my friends really trying to understand me, they get defensive and they only want to see things one-sided with a "two-sided" tag on it. But as the scripture says, we must accept another person's convictions. There is no reason to take it lightly. Everything we do has a ripple effect, and it may just be hurting someone you're close to whether you realize it or not.

Just observe your actions and question your motives in certain situations. And always be willing to accept and understand someone's point of view or opinion. But mind you, my "opinions" are all
Bible-based; they are not just conjured up in my mind. Hopefully the discouragement will not continue, and at least I have some friends who encourage God talking to me and working in my life. I'm living, learning, and growing through the discouragement though. It just makes me want to be even stronger in my faith. :]