One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.

(Romans 14:5-6 NIV)

On some air bases the Air Force operates on one side of the field while civilian aircraft use the other, with the control tower sitting in the middle. One day the tower received a call from an aircraft asking, “What time is it?”  

The tower asked, “Who’s calling?”

“What difference does that make?” the pilot replied.

“Well, if you’re American Airlines, it’s 3 o’clock. If you’re Air Force, it’s 1500 hours. If you’re Navy, it’s 6 bells. If you’re Army, the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 3. And if you’re Marines, it’s 120 minutes to Happy Hour.”

The truth is, different groups can look at the same thing and describe it in completely different ways.  They’re all correct, just using different languages.

The church operates much the same way. We read the same Scriptures and worship the same God, but we express our faith in very different ways. Some prefer hymns while others raise hands to contemporary worship.  Some dress formally for church; others come in jeans. Some say “thee” and “thou” in prayer; others talk to God like a friend over coffee.

Paul understood this. In Romans 14, he reminds us that sincere believers can worship the same Lord in different ways: “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.” The issue isn’t uniformity. It’s the heart behind the practice.  Are we doing it to honor the Lord?

We err when we assume that our preferred worship style or church tradition is the only valid way to approach God.  When we judge other believers not for abandoning their faith but for emphasizing different aspects of their faith, we miss the point.

May we celebrate the beautiful diversity among God’s people and focus on what matters most: honoring the Lord in all we do.

Closing Prayer: Lord, teach us to appreciate the different ways your people express their faith.  Unite our hearts in love despite our differences, and help us honor you in all that we do.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day