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."
Showing posts with label choices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choices. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Faith is
being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see"(Hebrews 11:1) One of the things I often pray for is more faith. Even tho' Jesus says that even faith as small as a mustard seed would move mountains... Everyday there are opportunities to walk by faith and not by sight, to chose faith instead of fear, and to trust God for the impossible.
Certainly Safe Families for Children (www.safe-families.org) movement is a movement of faith. Yet, I am challenged everyday with Safe Families to choose between that which can easily or by harder work be done, or, choose that which requires more faith. Admittedly, I often choose that which may take a little faith and that for which I can see just how it can be done - financially, people-power wise, systemically, and practically. I often have both a nagging and exhilarating sense about desiring to see God move in a way that everyone seeing would have to say, 'wow, that must have been God!" Do you?
I guess what I'm saying is, "I want more." I want more of God. I want more of the Holy Spirit - we are told that "the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us" (Romans 8:11) who have been blood bought (1 Corinthians 6:20), who are not our own, who have been purchased with a price. What I'm writing doesn't have to do with theology or doctrine (in the sense that I'm not making positional theological or doctrinal statements, so lets not get stuck there :)). I'm simply saying that I long to see more of that same power that raised Jesus from the dead working in and through me, you, the body of Christ.
You might ask, "What is behind this blog?" Good question.
This morning I heard something that riveted me, even seeing it as an answer to my prayer. I was told that a Christian businessman (whom I know) said that his approach to business decisions is this: "Whenever I have a decision or choice to make, I choose the option that requires the most amount of faith." I love that! For some reason, it is such a freeing approach for me! I do not do that as a 'rule.' Do you? I do take steps of faith, there are people who have told me over the years that they would like to have the faith that I have (I still don't see it the way they do...) and yet I have to say that generally, even while taking steps of faith, I can "see" ahead in some fashion.
So, today, I determine, by God's grace, to make the decisions and choices before me by which option requires the most faith. I recognize that this looks different for different people; my step of faith may not be faith for you and vice versa. How about you? Will you join me in asking God and stepping out to see God's promise that He will do "exceedingly, abundantly beyond whatever we could ask for or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20) - that same power that raised Jesus from the dead?
Certainly Safe Families for Children (www.safe-families.org) movement is a movement of faith. Yet, I am challenged everyday with Safe Families to choose between that which can easily or by harder work be done, or, choose that which requires more faith. Admittedly, I often choose that which may take a little faith and that for which I can see just how it can be done - financially, people-power wise, systemically, and practically. I often have both a nagging and exhilarating sense about desiring to see God move in a way that everyone seeing would have to say, 'wow, that must have been God!" Do you?
I guess what I'm saying is, "I want more." I want more of God. I want more of the Holy Spirit - we are told that "the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us" (Romans 8:11) who have been blood bought (1 Corinthians 6:20), who are not our own, who have been purchased with a price. What I'm writing doesn't have to do with theology or doctrine (in the sense that I'm not making positional theological or doctrinal statements, so lets not get stuck there :)). I'm simply saying that I long to see more of that same power that raised Jesus from the dead working in and through me, you, the body of Christ.
You might ask, "What is behind this blog?" Good question.
This morning I heard something that riveted me, even seeing it as an answer to my prayer. I was told that a Christian businessman (whom I know) said that his approach to business decisions is this: "Whenever I have a decision or choice to make, I choose the option that requires the most amount of faith." I love that! For some reason, it is such a freeing approach for me! I do not do that as a 'rule.' Do you? I do take steps of faith, there are people who have told me over the years that they would like to have the faith that I have (I still don't see it the way they do...) and yet I have to say that generally, even while taking steps of faith, I can "see" ahead in some fashion.
So, today, I determine, by God's grace, to make the decisions and choices before me by which option requires the most faith. I recognize that this looks different for different people; my step of faith may not be faith for you and vice versa. How about you? Will you join me in asking God and stepping out to see God's promise that He will do "exceedingly, abundantly beyond whatever we could ask for or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20) - that same power that raised Jesus from the dead?
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