“Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” – 1 Corinthians 8:12-13

It’s a wonderful thing to know just how profoundly free you are in Christ! We can eat, drink, dress, look, sing, worship, and do however we like as long as it doesn’t violate God’s Word. We aren’t bound by old traditions, norms, standards, and expectations that have been added by our culture beyond what the Bible commands.

However, please understand that not every brother or sister fully understands all the dimensions of Christian liberty, as perhaps, you do. Not every Christian can separate the cultural from the truly biblical (there’s been ample evidence of that lately)! For them our freedom can look like sin. Are they correct? No. But that doesn’t mean we can simply ignore them and their concerns. As lovers, followers, and imitators of Christ we must be very thoughtful and selfless in how we choose to exercise our Christian liberty. If our choices, actions, and words (which aren’t sinful in themselves) confuse less knowledgeable or mature Christians into thinking we’re sinning and encourages them to do what they believe to be sin, then we’re sinning!

As adopted children of God, we should voluntarily lay down our freedoms whenever necessary to build up other Christians. We shouldn’t make a big show of it, nor should we be patronizing or condescending. We should just choose not to do the thing that offends the sensibilities of other believers.

Of course, it’s good to gently and lovingly teach truth about Christian freedom. But that can’t be done harshly, abruptly, or in a manner that’s hurtful, arrogant, or otherwise damaging. In Christ, we have extraordinary freedom, but we’re so blessed by God’s abundant grace that we must always stand ready to lay that freedom down to help our struggling and only partially formed brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Honor belongs to the person who ends a dispute,
but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.”
– Proverbs 20:3

We live in an age that constantly demonstrates the second part of this proverb! Any fool truly can get himself or herself into a quarrel, and they do. We see it on the roads. We see it on the news. We see it on social media. We see it on email. We see it in the workplace, in schools, and in homes. We see it in sports at every level. We live in an age of short tempers, thin skins, easy offense, and exaggerated outrage. “Any fool can get himself into a quarrel.”

Followers of Jesus must not be fools in this way. We can’t be getting ourselves into quarrels. If we find ourselves in one, we must immediately get ourselves out of it. We must ALWAYS resist the very human rush of emotion and anger that easily turns differences of opinion and disagreements into full-blown and sinful quarrels. When we fail to resist, we must recognize that we have sinned. Our sin isn’t in holding to a different perspective, but in becoming agitated, angry, and quarrelsome, thus bringing shame on the name of Christ.

Jesus was very clear, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” That wasn’t intended to describe a special kind of Christian. Making peace is the appointed job of every Christian. We aren’t just supposed to be peaceful and avoid quarrels, but must actively get engaged in making peace. That’s where the first part of the proverb comes in. Followers of Jesus should be actively investing ourselves in ending disputes, even when it’s risky and messy. We are to MAKE peace, not just enjoy it or keep it.

In our quarrelsome, angry, divided culture, we who follow Jesus are meant to be radically different. We’re meant to be lowering temperatures, modeling humility and forgiveness, bringing people together, and demonstrating how to love those who think and act differently than we do. Any fool can get himself into a quarrel. Don’t be any fool! Live with honor and be the peacemaker Jesus called and equipped you to be!

“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 2:11

The writer of Ecclesiastes catalogs the many ways he tried to find purpose and meaning in human endeavors and pleasures. He accomplished great things, built great buildings, and received the applause of many. He accumulated riches, worked hard, and played harder. He acquired mountains of stuff and spent his days and nights in the nearly endless pursuit of physical pleasure. He numbed himself and reflected on what he had become. It was all meaningless. It meant nothing and would be gone once he was gone.

Apart from God, out of His will, and without consideration for His glory, all of it was vanity. All of it was temporary. All of it would be swept away by the wind or buried by the sands of time. Apart from God, there is no long term meaning to any of the striving, sweat, and tears we put into the things that temporarily excite our imaginations.

True and lasting peace, pleasure, and purpose is found only as we pursue our relationship with God. There is satisfaction as we become more like His Son Jesus and walk in step with His Holy Spirit. There is meaning to our life as we devote it to making disciples. There’s a legacy that will last long after we’re gone when we devote ourselves to caring for and building up God’s people. There’s nothing to be gained under the sun unless it’s done for, and with, God’s Son!

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is a message specifically for Christians (all Christians), because it’s built on truths which only apply to followers of Jesus! If Jesus is your Lord, then the Holy Spirit lives within you, which makes you a temple. A temple is the place where God dwells and He dwells within each believer! Our bodies are holy ground! What we put into them and what we do with them we are doing to and with God’s holy temple!

This should give us pause. As Christians, our eternal life and freedom from sin and death were bought with the precious blood and broken body of Jesus Christ. Because of what He did for us on the cross, we who believe in Him are united with Him through His death and resurrection. We are one with Him and He is one with us. This is a glorious truth, but it’s one with profound implications! We must continually seek to glorify God with our bodies.

We must reject sinful behaviors that don’t bring glory to God through the use of our bodies. Rather than rationalize sin away by asking who we’re affecting, we must live in light of the knowledge that we affect God in us. We must reject sinful behaviors that don’t treat our bodies as holy temples of God’s Holy Spirit. We must live each day with a greater awareness of Christ’s Lordship over our bodies and lives and His desire to bring glory to God through them.

This isn’t a negative thing at all. This isn’t a burden. This isn’t about eliminating fun. This isn’t really about what we can’t do – it’s about what we can do, because of Christ in us!

“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.” – 1 Chronicles 29:14

As David and the people of Israel gave generously for the construction of the Temple, they demonstrated a proper and healthy attitude toward financial giving. All our possessions come from God and are given to us to manage on His behalf to meet our needs, to meet the needs of others, and to glorify God. The Israelites understood that giving wasn’t an unpleasant and burdensome obligation imposed by God. Rather, the opportunity to give to God’s work on Earth is an invitation to join Him in blessing the world and praising His name.

The Israelites gave joyously and generously. They were delighted to be able to return to the Lord a portion of everything He’d given them. They gave freely and loved being able to join with Him in His important work. Giving should be like this for every Christian. Through Christ, God has blessed us with all the riches of His presence, His love, His salvation, His reconciliation, His adoption, and His friendship. God is the source of all our material blessings and possessions. He invites each of us, as His followers, to give joyfully and generously to advance His Kingdom here on earth.

We live in an age of unprecedented ability to support God’s Kingdom work both in the local church and at the far ends of the Earth. For those in the Western world, we have incredible opportunities to instantly support organizations with solid track records of financial stewardship as they translate and distribute the Bible, provide for physical needs, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and reach the unreached with Good News. Who are we that God would give us this incredible privilege? We are blessed beyond measure and invited to experience the joy of returning our blessings to the Lord!