Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Corinthians 8:8-12 (GW)

8 Food will not affect our relationship with God. We are no worse off if we eat {that food} and no better off if we don’t.

9 But be careful that by using your freedom you don’t somehow make a believer who is weak in faith fall into sin.

10 For example, suppose someone with a weak conscience sees you, who have this knowledge, eating in the temple of a false god. Won’t you be encouraging that person to eat food offered to a false god?

11 In that case, your knowledge is ruining a believer whose faith is weak, a believer for whom Christ died.

12 When you sin against other believers in this way and harm their weak consciences, you are sinning against Christ.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Unfortunately many times our immaturity will cause us to gloat about something we believe is OK in the presence of someone who is convinced in their heart that our actions are sinful. While this may often weaken our witness to the other person, we could very well weaken the other persons faith by making them feel like they could follow our actions even though they feel in their heart that the action is unpleasing to God. When we do this, we ourselves are sinning, according to verse 12 above. It is far more important that we do all within our power, and that we sincerely seek God’s grace and power to lift up and strengthen the weaker brother, rather than doing something to weaken their faith. I heard one time that the worst thing in the world the church could do with a new believer is to place them in the midst of mature Christians, because they will soon be convinced that they are far too excited and much too committed in their faith. While this may sound funny, there is probably more truth in that than we would care to believe. Paul used food as the object of his discussion here, and while we still have differences today in what some faiths believe is OK to eat (scripturally), we must be careful to not tear down their faith, but to respect it and not gloat in what we feel might be our freedom to eat anything at all. Let’s always remember that our goal is to win the lost to Christ and to mature in our relationship with God and each other. This is accomplished by loving God and others around us, and therefore doing all we can to please God and our Christian brothers and sisters. As we faithfully do this, we will not gloat about anything that will upset them. Let’s also remember that in the same way that we may offend our Christian Brother or Sister, we would just as easily offend the non-Christian looking for a role model of God in their workplace or their school or even their church.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Sometimes this Christian faith seems all too complicated, but I am seeking Your strength today to do and say only those things that please You. For I truly believe that as I seek to please You, I will automatically please others and not be a stumbling block to them. I can only please You by knowing what You would have me to do and say, and this comes from reading Your Word and living it each day. Thank You for your Holy Word, and for how it becomes alive to me each day. You are my role model, please help me to live my life closely in tuned with all that I read and understand from Your Book of Instructions, the Bible. Use my life and my words to bless others that I come into contact with, so that Your name may be lifted up and praised. To God be all the glory today!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
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