Daily Devotional for Monday, July 7

The Challenge

“But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak,” 1 Corinthians 8:9.

When I was a young man, we had a person who had recently been saved, got baptized and joined the church. This person was a vegetarian and had been influenced by his family as he had been raised in another religion in which they did not eat meat. Our church was to have a potluck, and this person did not feel like they could eat with us because of the eating of meat. When some found out about it, they made statements suggesting that this person needed to get over it and realize they were wrong. One person had even said that he would not give up eating meat in front of this person because he was right to eat it, and they were wrong. Though this new, young member never heard these statements, it became apparent that there needed to be some teaching on this subject for all sides.

The challenge we face as Christians is sometimes one of making right choices in place of exercising our rights. Some seem to think that if we are at liberty to do something, then it should be okay to do it in every situation no matter if it causes someone else to stumble in the faith. The apostle Paul taught us that just because I may be able to do something does not mean that it is always good for me (1 Corinthians 10:23). Paul told us that it is a sin when we are guilty of these types of attitudes towards others, “But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). So, challenge yourself and see if you are more worried about pushing your knowledge on someone or loving them to build them up (verse 1).

JUST A THOUGHT

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Tim Chambers