(Rom 14:17) “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”   How precious life is when our focus is righteousness, doing that which is right in the sight of God. Notice what follows – “peace”. A heart seeking to be righteous results in peace: “Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee…” (Isa 26:2)

(Rom 14:17) “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”  The focus of this life we have been saved into is not pleasure for self, but holiness for God. Which are you focused upon?

(Rom 14:16) “Let not then your good be evil spoken of: (17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” This does not mean, “Set that person straight”, but instead in love teach if teachable, but be willing to neglect your desires for the good of the other.

(Rom 14:14) “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (15) But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.” This is not something in which one is told to throw out the baby with the bathwater. No one has to be told what you do in your private life. But we are not to “in your face” act in such a way as to make another to stumble to what could be their eternal death.

(Rom 14:14) “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (15) But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”  Knowing you are a Christian and seeing you do what one is convinced is sin, hinders this lost soul from coming to Christ. We are to care for souls more than for our personal pleasure.

(Rom 14:14) “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”  Notice the thing is not wrong, although the heart says it is. The thing is therefore not wrong for others but it is for this person. We need to understand this. Unless the Bible reveals something to be wrong, we should not judge others who are not convicted of the same thing we are.

(Rom 14:13) “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” Notice the focus goes from being critical and condemning to actually caring for the welfare of the other.

(Rom 14:11) “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (12)  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”   “Shall confess to God” with “give account of himself” seem to indicate the individual uttering every activity and motive of our life, made plain to God as well as finally to ourselves. Interesting verses.

(Rom 14:10) “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”   The life of the saved shall be judged by the Lord. This is not to determine salvation, for Jesus was already judged in our place. You are I are not to judge our brothers/sisters, for it is not our right, lest we be judged for this sin of judging.

(Rom 14:10) “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”  “Nought”: to think less of. It seems we need to constantly look hard at self as we are hard on others. Pride. So dangerously subtle.