Founder’s Choice: Bethany Jenkins: The “stumbling block” passage, when properly applied, is one of the most beautiful truths in all of Scripture. To me, it’s one of the ways that we can live totally opposite from the wisdom of this age: Who in their right mind voluntarily puts down their rights for others? Here, Paul doesn’t tell “the strong” that they are wrong; in fact, he says, they’re right. Yet he calls them to lay down their rightness out of love and service to others who are “weak” and, he acknowledges, wrong. I rarely see such humility in my own heart. I like to be right, to win arguments, to live according to the rights that I have. I don’t want to lay down my rights to those who are wrong; instead, I want to show them how wrong they are. Yet when I see Jesus, who laid down his divine rights out of love and service to me (his wrong-headed and stubborn enemy), I weep as I embrace his kindness. This, in turn, enables me to lay down my rights—not because I’m wrong, but because I’m called to love and serve others as he has loved and served me.
843 Acres: Founder’s Choice: Bearing with the Weakness of OthersOriginally published as a Tuesday Tweetable on September 3, 2013.Highlighted: 1 Cor 8
Discerning Brokenness
We exclude people in three ways: (1) expulsion: get away from me, (2) subjugation: submit to me, (3) assimilation: conform to me.
Traditional intolerance says, “We have rules and, if you do not adhere to our truth, then you are out.” #expulsion
Modern (in)tolerance says, “We can live together as long as no one claims to have the truth. This is the only absolute truth.” #assimilation
Imagining Redemption
Modernity says, To accept someone, you accept their beliefs. Christianity says, Accept one another, even if you don’t accept their beliefs.
How do we treat people who we think are wrong? We were saved by someone who entered into our humanity when we were wrong. #love #innerpoise
Eating food sacrificed to idols was not sinful unless it was in the presence of a believer with a weak conscience. http://ow.ly/mO6MK
Praying ACTS
Lord, On the cross, we see your intolerance for sin and your vulnerability for us. What a condescending, loving God we serve! #adoration
Lord, We confess that we are often impatient with others. Instead of being driven by other-love, we are driven by self-love. #confession
Lord, Thank you for bearing with our weak consciences, for being intolerant of our sin and for adjusting your life for us. #thanksgiving
Lord, Help us relate to others as you relate to us – on the basis of your grace, not our goodness, rightness or kindness. #supplication
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