It's Okay, But It's Not Okay

"'Everything is permissible'--but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'--but not everything is constructive" (I Corinthians 10:23).

During the time Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth, some Christians were still participating in their old religious habits. Paul was unique, in that he was Jewish and Greek. Therefore, he could easily relate to both groups of people. While Paul urged the church members not to make such a big deal out of some of these old habits, he also did not want them to serve anything that was not of God. He also did not want one person to be influenced by another's practice of old traditions to the point that he would go back to the old ways and not live under God's standards.

We can certainly apply this to life today. There are plenty of things that are not wrong exactly, and you may be able to participate in them without it affecting your spiritual life. But another person, who may struggle with a certain behavior or activity, could see your involvement in it and be influenced by it. That's not to say that we can't participate in anything that anyone else, in the face of it, may begin to falter spiritually. My point is that we've just got to be aware of it. Are we encouraging each other spiritually? Are we modeling Christ-like behaviors for each other?

Similarly, we have to watch ourselves for our own good. It's easy to fall into a bad habit, simply by telling ourselves that it's not wrong. Many things aren't "wrong" in moderation. We just must continually ask God to reveal anything amiss in us by the promptings of His Spirit. You know--that little nudge that you feel when you're open to getting those nudges.

Pray today that you'll be open to God's nudging to show you anything that isn't exactly wrong but isn't exactly right in your life.