Romans 14:13; NASB
Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way. As a kid, I loved growing up watching cartoons. I think one of my favorites was Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. All the shenanigans, all the traps. All the Acme packages the coyote bought. All the snares and obstacles he placed in the way to trip up the roadrunner. And the plans didn’t work. Never. Ever. Worked. The road runner always got away. I wish that were true of life today, especially the life of faith as we follow Jesus with all our heart. But the fact is, there are many obstacles in life. There are many stumbling blocks to us following and growing in our faith. Think about it for a minute. What are the stumbling blocks that get in the way of you following Jesus? Sure, we can name some biggies: pride, arrogance, anger, selfishness. You know, very big, very general terms. I was on a hike the other day and it seemed like every 20th step I was rolling my ankle. My friend behind me finally laughed and was like, “I don’t know how you do it but you seem to find every wrong place to step.” My response, “I belong on pavement.” But this Romans passage isn’t about stumbling blocks. It’s about making sure we don’t do anything to put a stumbling block in someone else’s way. There’s a scene in the movie “Big Daddy” with Adam Sandler, in which he is taking care of a young boy. They are watching a group of roller skaters skate backwards in between cones. Then suddenly, the child throws a stick on the ground and a roller skater comes by and completely crashes to the ground. The child threw a stumbling block in the way. He intentionally did something to cause someone else to fall. You and I can never do that. When the thought comes across our heart or mind, trust me, confess it to God right away and run away from that thought. It doesn’t do any good to anybody. It doesn’t even help you. And in this passage, Paul tells us the quickest, easiest way we can throw stumbling blocks in other people’s way. “Let’s not judge one another anymore.” Yeah, you read that right. Judging others is the quickest way to get them to fall. It’s the stick, the rock, the chain, the rope….whatever would cause someone to come crashing to the ground. Rather, let's focus on ways we can clear the way of obstacles. How can we do that? Well, there’s lots of ways. We can pray. We can make sure we are encouraging with our words. We can listen, and respond when appropriate. We can come alongside and try to help carry any of life’s burdens for them. Obviously, we can choose not to judge them. Ultimately, our goal should be to clear the way to get them closer to Jesus so they can hear what He is trying to say to them. So toss aside that stick of judgment. Throw it into the bushes so that it can never cause anyone to stumble again. Grab that broom of encouragement and get out there and start sweeping the path clear so the people close to you (friends, family, neighbors, co-workers) can get to Jesus. -Pastor Brian
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