Don't judge God's servants! Romans 13-14

After all the deep, deep and mysterious doctrine of Romans 1-11, it is great to get to the practical outcome of it in chapters 12-16. Last week, in chapter 12, we discovered that we are to practice love with our brothers and with any evil doers. Since our reading program breaks up the flow of these chapters it is good to call to memory that Paul meant for us to hear these truths in their entirity. So, as we see that we are connected by Christ's blood with our brothers, Paul tells us that we are governed no longer by law but by love. And, that love works itself out in our treatment of one another (13-14). Paul even goes to the extent that we don't "judge" our brother. In 14:4 he tells us to "not judge another's servant." What a marvelous concept for us to grasp in our day-to-day lives. My brother in Christ is Christ's servant! Who am I to judge Christ's servant? We are not to make judgments on Christ's servants for to "His own Master" he stands or falls and hi master "is able to make him stand ... and he will stand" (this last phrase is a reference to Christ completing the work in us to the very end). When we look at our brother or sister and think judgmental thoughts we are judging Christ's work in that person's life. We are judging Christ! Christ is at work in each servant's life and we are to allow Him to do the work and not inflict our judgment. Stop making judgments of your brother. You are both servants of Christ.