The Problem is not the What -- But the Will

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. […] Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you.’ CHAMBERS

 

(1 Corinthians 8:9-13)  “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

 

(1 Corinthians 6:12 NKJV)  “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.”

 

Even though we have freedom in Christ, we are not free to do whatever we want … Even those things that are ‘OK’ to do, we may not do because we would cause a Brother to stumble in his faith.  You may ask Cain’s question.  “Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9)  Are you willing to not do something for the benefit of others?  Most of us are willing to do something for someone.  But are you willing to ‘not do something’ for someone.  To say ‘no’ to yourself for the sake of another person? That requires the attitude of Jesus … a willingness to lay your life down for others.  Are you? Will you? And if you are asking yourself, what thing must I stop doing? You most likely already know.  It typically is not the “what” that is the problem, it’s the “will”.

 

(John 15:13) “No greater love has one man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)