by Jane Mueller
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Let us then pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding (Romans 14:19).
Read Romans 14:13–23
We live in a time when differences can quickly divide us – whether it’s how we vote, what we eat, how we care for our health, how we educate our children, or how we interpret social justice issues. Social media amplifies these differences and can turn even minor disagreements into battlegrounds. But Paul reminds us that the way of Jesus is different.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul addresses ‘disputable matters’ – those grey areas in which faithful Christians may hold different views. In the early church, it was about food laws and special days. Today, it might be about worship style, political opinions, climate action, or how we engage with technology and culture. Paul’s message still rings true: don’t let these issues become stumbling blocks.
Instead of judging or trying to convince others that our way is best, we’re called to pursue peace and mutual encouragement. Our love for one another should outweigh our need to be right. This means laying aside our preferences for the sake of another’s peace. After all, love doesn’t break – it builds. The true markers of God’s kingdom aren’t found in opinions, but in integrity, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Love means sometimes staying silent when we want to argue. It means choosing relationship over being right. It means remembering that the person who disagrees with us is someone Christ died for.
In a polarised world, what if the church became known for its radical love? What if we were the people who made space for difference without division?
What ‘disputable matters’ would you like to let go of, in support of love coming to life?
Lord, in a world quick to divide, teach me to choose the path of peace. Help me to build others up, even when we don’t see eye to eye. Help me to love others more than I love being right. Let me be known not by how strongly I argue my views, but by how fiercely and deeply I love. Amen.
Jane is a former Lutheran school principal and now serves as Governance Leadership Director for Lutheran Education SA, NT & WA. Jane has a keen interest in psychology, enjoys hiking and loves learning about and trying new things.
by Jane Mueller
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Welcome those who are weak in faith but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions (Romans 14:1).
Read Romans 14:1–12
We often long for unity in our churches but frequently mistake unity for uniformity. We assume that if everyone believed the same things, behaved the same way, or worshipped with the same preferences, harmony would follow. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking our way is the most faithful way. But Paul offers a different vision in his letter to the Romans: true Christian community isn’t built on conformity. It’s built on love.
The early church wrestled with differences: what to eat, what days to honour, how to live faithfully. Paul didn’t demand that everyone agree. Instead, he called them to welcome one another, to resist the urge to pass judgement and to trust that each person was seeking to honour God.
We don’t need to fix each other. That’s not our job. We’re not called to be the conscience for someone else’s journey. We’re called to walk alongside, to love generously and to create space for God to work in hearts that aren’t ours.
When we welcome others – truly welcome them with grace rather than suspicion – we embody the heart of Christ. And when we stop trying to correct and start trying to connect, the church becomes a place of belonging, not just belief.
Each of us stands before the Lord. He alone is the judge. Our calling is not to decide who is right, but to decide to love.
Gracious God, thank you for welcoming me with open arms. Help me to let go of judgement, resist the need to fix and build community not on sameness, but on grace. Amen.
Jane is a former Lutheran school principal and now serves as Governance Leadership Director for Lutheran Education SA, NT & WA. Jane has a keen interest in psychology, enjoys hiking and loves learning about and trying new things.
by Jane Mueller
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Owe no-one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8).
Read Romans 13:8–14
You don’t owe God a thing because Jesus has already paid it all. The law has been fulfilled, the debt erased, and your identity sealed in grace. There is nothing left to prove. And yet, from this place of complete freedom, Paul calls us into something powerful and purposeful: love. It is not as a burden, but as a formidable response to the love that has first been poured into us.
Paul reminds us that all the commandments – every ‘do not’ and ‘must not’ – are summed up in one beautiful, radical call: love. Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself. And this isn’t theoretical. It’s grounded in the example of Jesus, who loved audaciously. He touched the untouchable (Mark 1:40–42), welcomed the outsider (John 4:7–26), dined with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 5:29–32), defended the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11), wept with those who were grieving (John 11:32–35), and forgave those who crucified him (Luke 23:34). His love wasn’t cautious or calculating – it was full, free and fearless.
This love isn’t abstract or sentimental; it’s active and practical. For you and me, it shows up in our patience when we’re frustrated, in kindness when we feel wronged, and in listening when we’d rather speak. It shows up in giving others the benefit of the doubt, in holding back gossip, in including the person on the edge, in forgiving without demanding payback, in choosing grace over sarcasm, and in showing up when it’s inconvenient. (This list is not exhaustive!)
When we love others, we’re not trying to meet a rule or tick a box – we’re reflecting Christ himself. His Spirit at work in us helps us see people differently, not as problems to fix, but as neighbours to love.
You are already fully known and fully loved in Christ. Let that truth shape your heart, mind and soul today.
Jesus, you loved me when I least deserved it. You paid every debt so I could live free. Fill me with your love today – real, bold, grace-filled love. Help me see and love people as you do. Amen.
Jane is a former Lutheran school principal and now serves as Governance Leadership Director for Lutheran Education SA, NT & WA. Jane has a keen interest in psychology, enjoys hiking and loves learning about and trying new things.
by Jane Mueller
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27).
Read Luke 14:25–33
Jesus never sugar-coated what it means to follow him. In Luke 14, he doesn’t pitch discipleship as a part-time hobby or a feel-good label. Instead, he speaks of cost: carrying your cross, counting the price and surrendering everything.
Pastor Andy Stanley puts it plainly: ‘Jesus never invited anyone to become a Christian. He invited us to follow.’
Stanley asserts that many of us are comfortable claiming the title of ‘Christian’ and challenges us by asking, ‘But are you a Jesus follower?’ Being a Christian costs nothing: the price has been paid, we believe in Jesus, and we receive the gift of salvation and forgiveness. Easy!
But following Jesus costs us something.
Following Jesus cost the first disciples their comfort, their careers and even their relationships. They abandoned their old lives and the things they thought were true to walk with Jesus. They moved beyond what was reasonable and expected. They opened their hearts to an unorthodox worldview, counter-cultural values and a new way of being. They adopted a kingdom mindset in which enemies are loved, generosity is extravagant, and reconciliation matters more than rules and rituals. They didn’t just believe; they rearranged their entire lives around Jesus.
Do you settle for belief without surrender? The name without the journey?
Jesus calls us beyond the title of ‘Christian’ into the daily, often costly, reality of discipleship.
It’s not a guilt trip; it’s an invitation. To follow Jesus is to step into a life richer and riskier than we imagined. To release what holds us back and to trust that what Jesus offers in return – peace, purpose and his presence – is worth everything.
Jesus, help me move beyond belief into true discipleship. Teach me what it means to follow you, especially when it requires a cost. Please give me the courage to let go of anything that competes with you. I want to walk with you: fully, faithfully and without fear. Amen.
Jane is a former Lutheran school principal and now serves as Governance Leadership Director for Lutheran Education SA, NT & WA. Jane has a keen interest in psychology, enjoys hiking and loves learning about and trying new things.
by Neil Bergmann
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Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God (Romans 13:1).
Read Romans 13:1–7
In today’s reading, Christians are encouraged to see their governing authorities as part of God’s care for God’s people. I don’t think this is a hard ask for us in Australia and New Zealand. We don’t necessarily agree with everything that our local, state or national government decides; however, the government acts in the way it believes is best for our country. In our democracy, governments are elected when their intended policies and programs align with those of the majority of the population.
How does this same passage apply if you are a Christian in a country where dissent results in imprisonment and even execution, where elections, if they are held at all, are not fair and free, or where governing authorities are corrupt and where some groups in the population are persecuted? What about those countries in which Christians are not free to openly practise their faith? Surely such governing authorities have not been established by God.
I think Paul provides some guidance in this passage. If the governing authorities uphold what is good and punish what is wrong, then they are God’s agents. If those who do God’s will are punished and those who do evil are rewarded, then the government has not been established by God.
How can we support our God-established governing authorities? We should obey the laws of the land. We should pay our share of taxes. We should give our governing authorities the respect and honour that they deserve both in private and in public. Either individually or corporately as a church, we can participate in the political process by making submissions to government inquiries or reviews of proposed legislation.
Finally, we can pray for our governing authorities in our private prayers, but especially in our public prayers. This is one visible mark of the honour and respect they deserve, and I’m sure it is a real and tangible encouragement to our parliamentarians, councillors and public servants for the work that they do.
Lord, empower your servants in our governments and councils with humility, wisdom, honesty, compassion and courage. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys being part of the monthly Messy Church worship, which provides a welcoming, interactive and intergenerational form of church.
by Neil Bergmann
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Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited (Romans 12:16).
Read Romans 12:9–21
In recent years, our global society has become increasingly divided. While there have always been differing opinions on social and political matters, divisions now seem to be deeper and more entrenched, often with no real middle ground. It can sometimes feel as though ideas different from ours are not only wrong, but that the people who hold them are also seen as stupid, deluded or even evil.
We could speculate on the reasons for this, such as blaming social media, which rewards more extreme views. However, I think it is just an aspect of basic human nature, that is, what Paul called ‘the pattern of this world’ in yesterday’s reading from earlier in Romans 12.
Today’s reading suggests a different path. We should not be proud or conceited, believing that we have all the right answers and opinions. Part of our discipleship mission is to care for those in need, to practise hospitality, and to share God’s love with all. We are called to hate what is evil and love what is good. Somebody who has a different opinion, faith or lifestyle is not evil. Instead, the hatred caused by political and social divisions is evil. What is good is living in harmony with each other.
We cannot spread the love of God if we only associate with those who share our beliefs. Spreading the love of God through word and action requires us to move beyond our comfort zone.
We are all simultaneously a mixture of good and evil – saint and sinner. When we follow the patterns of behaviour that we see in the world around us, we emphasise the evil aspect. It is only when we turn to God and share God’s love for all humanity and all creation that God’s good shows through.
God of humility, help me to live in harmony with all. Take away my pride, greed, arrogance and self-deception. Fill me with your Spirit of love, so that I may learn to live in your kingdom of heaven, here on Earth. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. In addition to professional qualifications in engineering, he has coursework and research master’s degrees in theology, and he has just started a PhD at Australian Catholic University on the topic of catholicity and ecumenism.
by Neil Bergmann
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Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
Read Romans 12:1–8
Romans 12:2 is one of my best-loved Bible texts. It asks us to examine what our society values and to question whether this is actually what God wants for his people.
What Paul calls ‘the pattern of this world’ is actually difficult to define, and there isn’t really a single pattern. Instead, there are competing patterns based on myriad different social, political, historical, national and international factors. However, here are two patterns that I think are pretty widespread:
- Wealth and material prosperity are drivers of happiness, and they should be eagerly sought – the best house in the best neighbourhood, the best car, the best appliances and the best holidays.
- Our social responsibility is first to ourselves and our family, then to our local friends and community (including our church), then to our nation, and then, if there is anything left, to the world’s disadvantaged.
Jesus had a lot to say about both of these patterns of this world. He taught that worldly riches are often an obstacle to Christian discipleship, and they certainly don’t bring happiness. He also taught that we are first called to care for the poor and disadvantaged since God’s love extends equally to all people, and so should ours.
In the latter part of today’s reading, Paul offers some ideas about how to live counter-culturally. He calls us to think humbly, so that we don’t judge ourselves as more important than we are. Paul also asks us to consider our gifts and how we can best use them to serve others.
Often these different gifts (for example, prophesying, teaching, giving) are discussed in terms of how we can use them to serve our local church community; however, I think this is too narrow a focus. We need to look beyond our congregations to consider how each of us can utilise our gifts to serve those most in need, wherever they are.
Father, forgive us when we think too highly of ourselves and when we judge our success by the patterns of this world. Give us the humility to abandon our own self-centred plans for happiness and instead renew our minds to follow your will. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys cooking, reading and doing cryptic crosswords.
by Neil Bergmann
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Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33)
Read Romans 11:25–36
The first section of today’s reading continues Paul’s discussion about the relative roles of Jews and Gentiles in God’s plan for salvation. In summary, it explains that God’s plan is for all humanity to be saved regardless of our origins, background and obedience to God’s will. Salvation does not depend on what we do; salvation is all God’s work.
Here is a version of a poem from author Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle:
Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; People got to sit and wonder ‘why, why, why?’ Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; People got to tell themselves they understand.
I believe this poem expresses two deep truths. Humans are naturally curious about how everything works, and we are also intellectually proud enough to think that we understand. Maybe we don’t all individually understand astrophysics or molecular biology; however, as a species, at least a few of us have got it figured out.
As Christians, we naturally want to explore all that we can about God and his plan for salvation, and that is a good thing. But our knowledge is always incomplete, even if we tell ourselves that we understand. Paul calls God’s salvation plan a mystery (verse 25). Then, in the key text above (verse 33), Paul reinforces the fact that we can never fully understand God’s plan.
Our intellectual pride when we think that we individually – or even corporately as a church – understand God’s plans is misplaced. We are called to intellectual humility and to accept that we cannot fully understand God’s ways.
Instead, in a confusing world of multiple faiths and competing denominations, we are freed from determining who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. Instead, we are free to share the love that God has for all that he has created. As verse 36 proclaims, ‘For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.’
Unsearchable and unknowable God, thank you for your revelation in Jesus Christ, and thank you for the sure and certain knowledge that through Jesus, I am saved to live with you forever. Amen.
Neil Bergmann is a lay deacon at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He is a member of the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology (ISCAST). He enjoys ISCAST biennial conferences about science and faith in conversation.
by Neil Bergmann
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Do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: you do not support the root, but the root supports you (Romans 11:18).
Read Romans 11:13–24
In today’s reading, Paul writes to believers in Rome about the relationship between their new community of Gentile believers and the Jews with whom God has ancient covenants as his special people. Among the Jews were those who accepted Jesus as Messiah and those who rejected him. How do they all fit into God’s plan for salvation?
Christians have been arguing about the place of the Jews in God’s kingdom for 2,000 years. Unfortunately, passages like today’s have been misused in the past to justify religious persecution. With tensions in the Middle East currently at extreme levels, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric are again on the rise around the world. Peace seems impossible.
Paul reminds us in today’s reading that it is not our job, as individuals or as religious communities, to decide who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ in terms of God’s kingdom. We are the branches, and we receive our spiritual nourishment, including our eternal salvation, from God, who is the root of all life.
We often view the world through a very simplistic philosophical lens. We think that there must be exactly one correct way to understand God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ, and (not surprisingly), this one correct way just happens to correspond to our personal understanding. The reasoning goes: if my interpretation of God’s plan for redeeming the world is correct, then all others are, at best, human-inspired superstitions and, at worst, schemes of the devil to thwart God’s plans. Or like this: if my Lutheran understanding of God’s self-revelation in Christ is right, other denominations (or even other Lutheran synods) with different understandings are in error and should be avoided. Really?
Instead, I believe that we are called to intellectual and spiritual humility, since the mysteries of God are beyond our ability to comprehend. We know that we are saved through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are called to spread that message throughout the world. We are also called to respect, care for and love all of humanity, whatever their faith, because God loves and cares for all.
Father of us all, you are the root of our life and salvation. Help us to love what you love – all people, all creatures and all of creation. Amen.
Neil Bergmann is the chairperson of Lutheran Earth Care, Australia and New Zealand. A retired computer engineer, he worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland.