Latest / The Daily Word / March 25 – Seek the Good of Others
Transcript
- Jenny Dirmann: Hey there and welcome to another daily word podcast. It's pastor Jenny and we're so excited to have you here. If you're new with us, we are taking a little bit of time each day to go through the life journal reading plan and we are currently in first Corinthians chapter 10. And so I'm going to share with you a few scriptures that stood out to me this morning. In fact, it's actually some of my favorite scriptures. So, as I'm going through my reading, I sometimes I'm going to be drawn to scriptures that I inherently love. Other times, God highlights for me something brand new I never caught, but even in the ones that I've, that I know well, and I've, ⁓ that I think of often, ⁓ it's not uncommon for God to highlight something new for me in those. or just to remind me of, stir me up again. So I want to encourage you as you're reading through the scriptures, don't feel like, okay, I know those. I'm going to skip over the ones I know. Know that God's word is alive and ⁓ speaking to us something new ⁓ each time. So don't, I would encourage you, don't skip over any part of it, but continue to engage it and hear it fresh and a new for the first time. So first Corinthians chapter 10, ⁓ Paul's really encouraging the Corinthian church. He's talking a lot about, in this context, fleeing from idolatry, kind of talking to them about some customs as it relates to sitting down and eating with others and ⁓ why you can or cannot when you're sitting down with others. if they're eating meat that's been given to an idol or had been kind of prepared at the table for idols, is it okay to eat that food? Yes or no, he's kind of talking about them on some practicals, which is good. But we get to this verse, verse 23 and 24. And Paul says this, he says, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. So essentially Paul had been saying, hey, like I can sit down and I can essentially eat food that's been given to idols because I'm not going to, like, I'm not eating it to worship those idols. Like my, my conscious is clear. I'm not worried. I'm not doing it for that purpose. So I have knowledge that knows I'm not going to do it for that. So I can do that. That's where he's saying all things are lawful for me. It's not a sin. God's word. There's, there's nothing because of the sacrifice of Jesus and what's taken place. Like I'm clean covered. can do that. But then he goes onto this next part to say, but want to highlight, not all things are helpful. And while all things are lawful, not all things edify. And so this next scripture is so important for us to consider as we walk out our Christian faith and as we continue to mature in our walk with Christ. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being." And as you go on to keep reading the rest of the passage, there's just about five or six more scriptures in the rest of chapter 10, Paul essentially goes on to say, ⁓ if you're sitting at the table with someone, again, he's in this context, and someone else is sitting there and feeling like, wow, to eat this meat, like that's a violation. And it's it's really gonna stir them up because they in their mind have not reached this revelation that it is okay, that it's not a sin, it's not a big deal ⁓ to eat this food. No, like God's word, it doesn't go against God's word, it's not violating something, but to them it is. Paul says, I'm gonna refrain from eating the food because it's essentially, because what it could do is if Paul eats the food. but they feel like it's a violation and then they choose to eat the food. In a sense, it is a violation because they're violating their own consciousness. ⁓ So it gets into this weird thing. So we have to recognize that while we have knowledge as we're growing in our knowledge of Christ, we want to be really cautious and careful that we're leading others into something that they are not free themselves to do because there is going to be a line of conviction there at times in our lives where God does invite us to personal things where he may ask us to not do something. So while there is freedom to not do things that are personal convictions, so how do you help someone navigate their own personal convictions when you're when you're just freely walking about knowing that you're misleading, misguiding someone. So you to be really careful and cautious. It's important that you recognize your Christian walk, it's not just about you. It's that you're walking in community. God's called us to walk in communities with others. So there's having an awareness, not being held ⁓ in a legalistic way, but just having an awareness of where, when you're with others and around others, where are they at? ⁓ And it's not about right and wrong. But what is most helpful? What is helpful to others and to this community as we're growing together? So there's several different things and I'm sure there are things you can think of in your life right now that you may or may not be doing. Maybe things in your community, maybe conversations you're having in the context of your family or your friends group, maybe you and your spouse that ⁓ activities or things you're engaging in that you may wonder, should we be doing this? Again, not a right or wrong thing, but maybe simply a matter of does this, ⁓ is this helpful? Does this edify? ⁓ so I would encourage you stick to that verse 24, let no one seek his own, but each one, the others well-being ask that question of yourselves today. Are you seeking one another's wellbeing? Are you seeking the wellbeing of others besides you? That's a really good measurement of maturity as you're looking. to grow in your walk with Christ as we are looking to grow in our walk with Christ. So that was my takeaway from today as I'm looking to grow in my relationship with Christ. Again, I'm sharpened. I'm reminded that there's always a next step as I'm looking to continue growing and maturing. And I is to be looking out for the wellbeing because I'm always grown in community. I've got to keep those open eyes. ⁓ and there's gonna be people around me that are at different ages and stages in their walk. That's not always an age and years. That's a maturity and where they are in their walk with Christ. And it's important to be aware of that. So let me pray for you and for us today. Lord, thank you so much that you are so faithful to meet us where we are, but Lord, you don't want to leave us where we are. God, that you're God who is walking with us. You're teaching us. and you wanna mature us into the fullness of Christ. And so Lord, thank you for community. Thank you that you've called us to walk together with one another. And so Lord, as we are walking together with one another, would you give me eyes to see? Would you give my brothers and sisters eyes to see ⁓ where we are in our walk with you and with one another? Lord, help us as the scripture says, ⁓ while all things may be lawful, Help us to recognize when we make decisions and when we're, the lifestyle that we're choosing to live, is it helpful? While all things may be lawful, does it edify those around me? Does it edify myself? And so Lord, help us in all that we do, not to seek what's just good for me ⁓ or even to seek my own desires, but to seek the wellbeing of those around me. Lord, I thank you that as we're faithful. to serve one another. Lord, you're so faithful to serve us and to meet us where we're at. You're such a good God. You're a faithful God and we're so grateful for your presence in our lives. We love you, Lord, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.