Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV
The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. That freedom is born of the Spirit of God, and empowers a person to live in line with the dictates of God. It does not mean that the law no longer applies to me, but I now have the Presence and Power of the Most High God to help me keep the righteous requirements of the law. It then means that those 'Do not taste' or 'Do not eat' rules are not binding rules on me, as long as I live by the righteous requirements of God's laws.
However, that freedom is not the whole story. Even though I am not bound by the law of sin and death, my life has become the signpost that points people to my own Master and Saviour. I am not bound by the law of sin and death, but my life must show those under it what they need to do to be free from it. No wonder Paul says in a verse not too far away from today's extract that: You say, “ Under grace there are no rules and we’re free to do anything we please.” Not exactly. Because not everything promotes growth in others. Your slogan, “We’re allowed to do anything we choose,” may be true—but not everything causes the spiritual advancement of others.
As I read the words of Paul above, I realise that the freedom Christ offers is that of the Spirit, which connects my inner man to God, enables me hear Him, and be led by Him. However, I still have to make impact down here, and one sure way to do this is to let the Light and Life of the One in me to shine out. If I live for myself alone, or I pursue my own agenda, how does God get noticed in and through me? In fact, no true disciple of Christ lives for himself, but we seek to make God known in all that we do, no matter how 'insignificant' it may seem.
It was food and drink that led to some conflict that Paul had to address here. Remember it was also food that led to the conflict that then led to the choosing of the first deacons in the Bible. Let it be known that there is nothing the devil cannot manipulate to further division, discord and disunity. If we are truly subject to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, we will not let the devil work in and through us to the destruction of the faith of another. Why allow what goes into the mouth and out of the body become hinderances to the work of God that leads to eternal life? Why sacrifice the eternal because of the ephemeral and the temporal?
Doing all to the glory of God requires a deep knowledge of who this God is, and all he wants and hates. It takes time and effort to know God, and it is a journey that all who claim to know Him must undertake. Nothing must become so important that it takes the place of God in my life, and nothing must be too much to sacrifice in order to make God known. After all, I was made to give and bring God glory, and that life's purpose can only be fully discharged when my life is showing it off. It cannot be hidden or ignored. Let nothing, not even food and drink, become stumbling blocks to the move of God in another person's life. May the things of this world not mortgage the eternal things that God wants to do in and through me. His time of favour is here.
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