Point

"I, I live! says the Lord: to me every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to God," Romans 14:11.

So, concludes the Scripture at that point, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. We get to explain to God all the stuff of our lives. You know, stuff that we remember and stuff that we've forgotten. But we'll remember it just fine at that point. And we can wrestle with our consciences right there, in front of the judgment seat of God. Mamma mia! Now, what's the Scripture's point to bring this up at this point in the reading? The point to bring it up at this point is this: Don't pass judgment on your brother. Especially: Don't despise your brother. Don't argue with your brother about whether to wear a mask or not. Wear it for the Lord, or don't wear it for the Lord. The Lord alone, not our arguing, makes his servants stand or fall.

With a brother or sister today, we confess Jesus as Lord and we set aside worthless differences. And we sing praise to the God who ensures we, together, will stand before his throne in eternal assurance.