The Plumbline

13 So don’t criticize each other anymore. Try instead to live in such a way that you will never make your brother stumble by letting him see you doing something he thinks is wrong.  (Romans 14:13 TLB) Paul has spent a great deal of time in this letter to the Roman church explaining the plan of salvation, but he has also corrected some 'bad behavior' that needed a little adjusting. In this sense, he is acting more like a father to them than we might first think. He isn't content to allow the pettiness of comparison to go on in this 'family of God' because he knows just how damaging that can be when it gets a foothold. Comparison is usually coupled with criticism - they are partners in crime. I have learned it is easier to criticize than to seek to understand. It is more convenient to point out faults than to help someone overcome them. Yet, if we are to be a cohesive family unit, we need to put both of these weapons away. In the time Paul is writing, there...

There is much power which comes as we learn to walk together in unity.  I think we all know how truly difficult it is to actually be and stay in unity, though.  Deep, intimate relationships require a different commitment than mere acquaintances.  Friendships help to sustain us and keep us on track. How we view each relationship kind of tells us a little bit about what we may actually invest into and take away from them.  We may find some actually are an ordeal for us because they demand more than we want to really put into them, but does that make them unnecessary relationships?  Some may seem like a big deal to us, but does that make them worthy of special attention while neglecting others?  Other relationships seem like they are kind of ideal, almost making us want to be exclusionary within those relationships, but doesn't that isolate us from the other types of relationships which might actually help us chip away some of the rough edges in our character?...