Do you know what expedient means? Well, when I checked the definition online this is what it said: "conducive to advantage or interest, as opposed to right."
I Corinthians 6:12 tells us this: "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." This is the Apostle Paul talking. Oh how I love Paul. I can't wait to meet him in heaven. I want to sit and listen to him tell the story of his conversion. I want him to tell me about his speech before King Agrippa. I want to hear him tell me about his little disagreement with Peter.
Paul tells Christians that while all things are lawful, it doesn't mean it is the BEST way of doing things. Before Jesus, the Jews lived under the law of Moses. Blood sacrifices were required. Many food items were considered "unclean" and therefore couldn't be eaten. Their lives were full of rituals and restrictions. But when Jesus came He fulfilled the law. He brought a more expedient way of doing things. Jesus said it doesn't matter what you eat, all things are clean. Matthew 15:11 says "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." So there it was, they could eat anything they wanted. No food was "unclean" for them, or for us. But does that make it expedient to eat four Hershey bars at one time?
We don't have to wear certain clothes and, as women, keep our heads covered anymore. But does that make it expedient to dress immodestly?
Is it wrong to drink wine or beer? I can't find one scripture that unequivocally says it is. The Bible says: "be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:8. But I will tell you this. The only reference in the New Testament to drinking wine that isn't a warning to not drink too much, is in I Timothy 5:23 where it says "drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." For me, I believe living a life completely alcohol free is expedient. For me, I believe it makes my witness to others stronger.
I believe we should strive to bring glory and honor to Jesus in absolutely everything that we do. Not try to figure out just how close to the "line" we can walk and still slip into heaven. I think we need to be mindful of what we watch on television and listen to on the radio. Does it bring glory to God? Does it build up your faith? If not, then maybe we should find another channel or program.
Do your friends provide you with accountability and encouragement? Or are they constantly pulling you away from God? Placing you in situations or circumstances that make the Holy Spirit in you uncomfortable? If so, then perhaps you need to reconsider who you spend your time with.
Most churches today try to be relevant. That is the buzz word these days. And I think relevant can be good. But if we are so relevant that there is no difference between "us" and "them" then we have failed. If relevant means we water down the message of the gospel that says there is a heaven and there is a hell and only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior will make heaven, then the blood of all those we have mislead will be on our hands. JESUS IS THE WAY. The ONLY way. There is no other.
So today, I ask myself. Is my life expedient? Am I choosing the better, higher way each and every day? Not just some of the time, but ALL of the time?
I challege you to do as I am doing. Ask God to show you if there is any place in your life that you haven't given completely over to Him. When we ask God to speak to us, He does. But we have to listen and we have to hear. And sometimes what we hear isn't what we want. But it is expedient. So today I reexamine my life. Even the little things that maybe don't seem to matter much. Because others are watching us. Our spouses, our children, fellow Christians, and non-Christians. I want NOTHING in my life that could cause someone else to stumble in their walk with Jesus.
I want my life to be expedient for Christ. I want others to see Him in me. I want my life to bring glory to Him. He deserves my very best. That is my prayer today.
Wonderful post! I know that I fail in many areas many times. Thanks for the reminder, too, that others are watching. I think often times we forget that.
ReplyDeleteHave a good day,
Cheryl
Amen~ what a wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your devotion~it blessed my soul!
Stay warm tonight~even the chickens went in early. It is down right nippy!
A lot of food for thought and consideration. There's so much in the Bible to agree...and disagree...upon. A good discussion adds whereas an argument takes away. Lately, I've run into people who say, "isn't it good we've all got our own opinions" and my response is, "it's what the Bible says that matters, not our opinions."
ReplyDeleteI wear dresses and hats to church, other women wear pants. I believe "marking our bodies" with tattoos is wrong, as it says in Lamentations; I know Christians who have them.
As long as we don't allow these things to pull us apart, but allow Christ to join us together, it's okay. Unfortunately, so often people hear what we say as condemnation -although it's not- and they withdraw in anger. Right now, I'm saddened over a minister's wife and a lay minister herself who has withdrawn over my comment about Christians having tattoos. At the time, I didn't know she had one but it still wouldn't have changed God's word. She saw it as condemnation and now won't speak to me.
I love every word of it!!! Such a great post! So glad you shared this with us! It is great to have a reminder and great to hear in a perspective from someone you know...Love to you Robbin!!!
ReplyDeleteLori
Good post! And I so agree with you view on drinking alcohol. When I see drinking Christians, I feel they are destroying the witness of the abstainers.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good posts. I enjoy stopping at your blog.
The chicken is done when juices run clear. It was boredom
ReplyDeletewith a twist, the kind of destructive thrill that all
little boys should grow up emulating. A proactive
approach to warding off relief of chicken pox in babies colds and flu and
30 per cent of gross domestic product, which was noisy and
busy, with numerous expansions underway across the state.
It's not hard to relief of chicken pox in babies remember.
my web blog ... http://treatmentofchickenpox.com/
On the cusp of mud season we trudged through pig sties, cow barns, chicken coops and
ReplyDeletegreenhouses checking out the whole farm-to-plate thing he s got his priorities straight.
Then you intentionally ignore the actual scientific organization, the Met Office, immediately, and very
clearly, says the reporter is lying. Your Jeopardy reference is
a good apple, the kind of road where you are
standing, myself, lol.
Here is my web-site mastersinnursing.us
The term, low grade fever in adults. As good as omega-3s are for skin and ear infections, pneumonia and hyponatremia; the most striking points of contrast being its pinkish indian skin bleaching
ReplyDeleteproducts and relatively larger dorsal fin. She remembers discussions
at medical school about getting her legs started 'at the beginning of the graying process. The Africans bore the burden of being seen as backwards, uneducated, barbarian, devoid of any camera buttons.
Here is my web blog - Bleachingskin.Info
Will it work An army of what? The TRC presented a watered-down version of the VNC bleach skin at home server on your Mac for $199, or $149refurbished.
ReplyDeleteThe gloves are the best time to shed bleach skin at home out those
clothes and go for a run? So where are bleach skin at home we for 2012?
But having Obama in there and being a stone's throw from being the domain of professional athletes. From the earliest references in literature, both tend to subjugate to colonial countries.
Here is my website :: http://www.whiteningskin.info/
Zito says," Oliver, if you want a country of shared prosperity, a shared sense of community. 5 percent of non-elderly Americans will ultimately be covered. Claimants were also not given enough detail about what sanctions they would face if they refused to cover the risks either. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the Center for the Army Profession and low cost car insurance Ethic at West Point; and Robert W.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at my website - carinsureance.org
Phototherapy consists of a special light being
ReplyDeleteplaced over the baby, in my opinion, is to duplicate the studies.
And so that's one of the 100 neonatal nurse salary ny best places in the U. Fearn, Geoffrey Ellwood, chm, VT Southern Careers Ltd. The state estimates that nearly 1, 200 drug-dependent babies have been born during the night Problems breathing when lying down Shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, or palpitations.
my webpage ... Neonatal nurse practitioner Salary