Everything is permissible, but not profitable

1 Corinthians 6

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6: 19,20).

Paul's focus in this portion of his letter relates to how believers are to approach disputes between one another and how believers are to view choices about how to conduct themselves. Paul admonishes believers to handle disputes among themselves, instead of taking their disputes before a worldly court system. Matthew 18:15-17 describes how we are to approach one another.

The second focus, which comes to my focus this morning is how we as believers ought to approach our choices. Paul points out that "Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me - but I will not be mastered by anything"" (vs 12). He then describes current Corinthian society situations to illustrate his point.

I would like to use an example that is current for us today. The Bible does not forbid the drinking of wine. Ephesians 5:18 does point out however that to be drunk with wine is dissipation; instead we ought to be filled with the Holy Spirit - drunk with the Holy Spirit - intoxicated not with alcohol, but with the Spirit - pneuma-holics (pheuma - Greek for 'breath' breath of God or the Spirit of God - Holy Spirit holics). Throughout Scripture we read how drunkenness has caused great havoc and destruction.

In our day, drunkenness causes great havoc and destruction - from the famous, to you and me. We have families that have been separated because of drunkenness; children have been abused at the hands of drunkenness; lives squandered; horrific life choices. Drunkenness is usually a symptom of an underlying issue(s) that is being handled through drinking - and handled poorly, leading to bigger issue(s) than the original issue!

Everything is permissible - it is not sin to have a glass of wine. Everything is not profitable - so much destruction takes place in wine/alcohol consumption...perhaps it isn't beneficial to have one drink...? so many folks turn to alcohol to handle problems, so many folks are tempted to indulge to intoxication....why even go there? So many become 'mastered' by the drink. What is the benefit as believers? How does this honor God?

These are my questions. This is one of my 'I'm permitted, but what is the benefit? Does any benefit outweigh the possible destruction? Personally, I have seen the devastation of drinking being used to handle struggles...and it caused much more destruction in addition to the original struggle. Professionally, in the field of child abuse and neglect - I have seen people die from too much drink; children abused; families neglected; lives destroyed.

So, for me, drinking is an example of something that is permissible, not but not beneficial. Not just non-beneficial, but destructive. How about you? What in your life is permissible, but not profitable for you or for others around you?

"Lord, I pray for each one of us today that you would reveal to us what may not be beneficial in how we are making choices. God, fill us so with Your Holy Spirit that the Spirit overrides whatever we would choose that is not beneficial, that does not bring You Honor and Glory. More Lord, more of You. Quench our thirst with Yourself. You are the Only True thirst Quencher and Satisfier of our hunger. Help us to then be portraits of Grace to others; even as we are now portraits of Your Grace, such as we are. We love You Lord, thank You for loving us."