2 Feb, 2010
Can I or Can't I?
Just as important as what iPad can do: What it can't
Many are impressed by the new iPad. Many are not. Though it is impressive in many ways, others are criticizing the new device for some of its shortcomings. Some of the complaints include the fact that it is without a USB port, that it is unable to play on line video or animation and that users can not use more than one application at a time. To view the entire article about the iPad, go to usatoday.com.
When it comes to Christians, the same question seems to come up... what can I and what can't I do? Of course, the real question is not "what can I do?", but rather "what should I do?" Some examples of those questions are...
Should Christians (who are of age) drink?
Should Christians listen to secular (non-Christian) music?
Should Christians watch R rated movies? ...PG-13 movies?
Should Christians gamble?
These questions have been asked for a long time...and the heart of these questions hasn't changed..."what can I do and still be okay as a Christian?"
In today's passage from God's Story, the apostle Paul tells us the answer to all of these questions...read on!
I Corinthians 10:23,24, 31-33 [NIV]
Everything is permissible — but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible — but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
What does God's Story teach us about what we should and shouldn't do?
When Paul wrote this, the first Christians were trying to figure out what they could and couldn't do now that Christ had set them free from all sorts of legalism. For generations, they had lived according to rules about what was okay to eat, what was "clean or unclean", what they could and couldn't do on the Sabbath, etc. There were over 600 rules altogether by which they had to live!
So as these new Christians started to live in this new freedom, they found themselves abusing it and doing things that ultimately weren't good for them... and deep down, they knew it.
Finally, Paul comes along and clears it all up. In verses 23 and 24 of today's passage he tells the Corinthians that they can certainly do more now — it is permissible — but just because they can do something doesn't mean that they should. If it wasn't beneficial for them and for others around them, Paul was encouraging them to NOT take advantage of their new found freedoms.
Connecting today's story and God's Story with my story
So, rather than asking the age old question "Is this okay to do?", let's start asking some better questions like...
- Is this beneficial for me spiritually (does it help or hurt my walk with God)?
- Is this beneficial for me physically (since God referred to our bodies as His temple)?
- Is this beneficial for my witness (since others are always watching)?
- If Jesus was right here with me (and He is), is this something we would do?
If you ever find yourself asking "Can I or can't I?" — whatever the situation may be — just ask these questions. Don't do this in an attempt to return to the legalistic rules that Jesus got rid of, do it to live in the freedom that is most beneficial for our walk with Him!
Connecting today's story, God's Story and my story with my friend's story
- When you are considering whether or not you should be doing, saying, or watching something, remember how this affects those around you. How we live can either have a very positive or negative affect on those who don't yet know Christ. When we live in a way that honors God, it is incredibly attractive. When we live outside of the way He has called us to live, it can be very confusing for them. Let's shoot for the "good of many" rather than our own good.
- Many of our unbelieving friends are pushed away by the "rules" of Christianity. Ask them if this is a concern for them. If it is, help them know how amazing it is to live in freedom, joy and peace as we follow God's outline for life!
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