A Question of Experience

Don’t waste your time on that which is truly not beneficial.

Text for Today – 1 Corinthians 6:12 – All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Now here is a Scripture, that if taken out of context, can be abused to the extreme, becoming a self-justification for committing all kinds of sin.  But it will not be so with us in this study.  Let’s begin with the word “all.”  In Scripture, when taken in proper context, “all” does not always mean every- thing.  For instance, before the birth of Jesus, a decree went out from Caesar that “all” the world should be taxed.  “All” in that case simply meant all the world that was under the control of Caesar and Rome.  It did NOT mean “all” the world that existed. 

There are some things, dear friend, that will never be lawful for the believer to do; cheat, steal, lie, murder, etc.  All such actions would be in direct disobedience to the Word of God, and that is, simply stated, sin.  And we know that sin separates one from fellowship with God.  Still, there are many things in life that the Scriptures do not directly address, such as what to watch on television, what your personal diet should be, the value of the automobile you drive, and the specifics of how you manage your finances once you have given God His tithe and your offering.  And these are only a few. 

I am convinced that most believers already know reasonably well how to apply this passage to their life.  If you know that certain foods cause your body to react in a manner that is detrimental to your health, and as such can have a detrimental affect on your ministry to the Lord, your family, your employer, or otherwise, then while it may be Biblically legal for you to eat it, it is certainly not expedient.  To eat it puts you under its control, or at least under the control of the reaction your flesh has to it.  When something controls you, it has become a type of god to you, and you need to be free from it.    Hence, Paul said, it is “not expedient.” 

Examine your life.  What has controlled you at any point in this year?  If it was sin, confess it, repent of it, and turn from it.  If it was something that to you was “lawful,” but by your embracing it, it became a controlling element in your life, then it was “not expedient.”  Remember, it is the little foxes, the small things that get us so easily.  Sleeping is good, but habitual over-sleeping brings poverty.  Getting a tan is fine, but being sun-burned is not good.  Truly, let your moderation be known to all men in ALL THINGS.

Manna for Today – Philippians 4:13; Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 8

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