1 Corinthians
10:23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is
beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is
constructive. (NIV)
The trouble with both free will and liberty is that we
begin to believe there are no boundaries or limits to what we can think, say,
or do. We insist on having our own way and protest if anyone infringes on our
rights. We govern ourselves and will not let anyone impose restrictions on what
we desire to do and woe betide anyone who says otherwise. However, the unintended
result is that we end up with a fragmented society where individualism is
idolized and social justice is marginalized. We look after number one and
everyone else can look after themselves.
That may be the way our society is going, but if apply
the moniker ‘Christian’ to our lives, then we live under the sovereignty of God, so our selfish behavior places us under His judgment. This is why Paul emphasized
the need to reflect on our conduct. No matter what we do or what rights we
think we have, as Christians our deeds should always be accompanied by two
questions: Is this beneficial? Is this constructive?
Far too often, we see the religious zeal of Christianity which
insists on getting its own way and doing its own thing, no matter how
unbeneficial or unhelpful it may be. The rest of society looks on us with
disdain and wonder why we’ve disconnected ourselves to the Founder of our
faith, especially when we omit to show compassion, love, or grace. We can insist
on being right instead of being kind, but all we will do is circle our wagons,
build a wall, and enclose ourselves in a pit of our own making which will
eventually destroy our effectiveness as disciples of Christ and missionaries of
His Word.
So, the challenge that we have before us is this:
whatever I seek to say or do today, I need to ask two things as a Christian, living
under the sovereignty of God and not my own personal morality: Is
this beneficial? Is this constructive?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, remind us that we serve You and
not ourselves. Keep us from allowing pride or contempt to overrule our
compassion and love. Retell us the story of how Your grace has been applied to
our lives and help us to share it selflessly with others. In Your Holy Name, we
humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in
Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to give some feedback on today’s message,
please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s image is one of
John’s holiday drawings called “Liberty Roses.” If you would like to view a
larger version, please click this link: Roses.
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