1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 – 31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Everything that God provides us are gifts from God. The gifts of God are meant to point us to the glory of God. We are to see God’s beauty on display through that gift, recognize it is from God, delight in it, delight in God as the giver of the gift, and praise Him for the beauty of His character on display—we are to glorify God. The more we glorify God, the more we are transformed by His glory from one degree of holiness to another. When we see God’s beauty in the light we also see our sinfulness and lean on Him to transform us as we work out our salvation in His strength and by His grace. This is our Christian life!
We know that all gifts are from God and are to be enjoyed by us with praise. We know that it is Christ that makes us righteous and not our abstinence from the gift. So when we encounter those who struggle with seeing the beauty of God in certain gifts from God, we abstain from the gift, not because it is sinful, but for the sake of our brother or sister. Christian freedom or liberty isn’t merely a freedom to enjoy God’s gifts because we are in Christ, it is also a freedom to not partake in them and seek our own advantage for the advantage of our brothers and sisters or for the lost that we encounter in our day to day lives.
As we look upon the example of Paul who looked upon the example of Christ let’s remember their God glorifying humility. It was more important to them to give up their freedom for the sake of others knowing and glorifying God than it was for them to fight for it. Something to think about…
Am I more concerned with what I want or the glory of God and the well-being of those around me?