1 Corinthians 10:31-32 NIV
[31] So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. [32] Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—
God, in the exercise of His foresight, has laid it out that the entire human race will come from the union of male and female genes. However the process of birth occurs, there is a union between the male and the female parts, and the person is born into a family, however normal or dysfunctional it may be. No one stands alone, and so far, no one else has been born the way Jesus was. We inherit the nature of sin by our natural birth, and then we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus by our spiritual birth. We are born into a natural family by our first birth, and we are brought into a spiritual family by our second birth.
We learn the customs and traditions of the human family as we grow up, and we will also be expected to learn the practices of our spiritual family as we grow in our knowledge and experience of this new family. This is the foundation of the verses above. As I grow in my human family, there are things that are w expected from me. I do not do anything that will hurt the members of my family. I watch out for their best interests. I ensure that I promote actions that will engender peace and harmony. I am there to support members who are struggling in one way or the other, so that they can be strengthened to stand on their own.
When one member is in trouble, we all gather around to help. When one member rejoices, we all also rejoice with the member. This is the dynamic that makes the human family unique and special. If this is true for the human family, picture the greater impact the spiritual family will have. Food and drink are natural processes that all families will engage in, and these can cause friction. God is asking me to be ready and willing to do even the basic of activity with a heart that seeks the good of other people, and not just my own. You may ask "Why would what I est or drink be an issue for another person" but the verses above seek to change the focus from the narrow prism of self to the broad scope of the welfare and growth of other people.
I do what I do because I care about the welfare of other people. I give up something I like because of the growth of someone else. I am not bound by dogma or the usual; I am not letting food and drink cause another person to stumble. I would not let the exercise of my freewill lead another person into bondage. I will not succeed in this by just simply following rules; I need to depend on the Holy Spirit. He is the One who knows what the other person needs, and He can guide my actions in the way they can be a blessing and encouragement to the other person. The glory of God must be my ultimate pursuit; when God is glorified, there is no limit to the usage and impact my life can have. God's time of favour is here.
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