Day 186: CAN do vs. SHOULD do

1 Corinthians 8; 1 Kings 22; Amos 6

If we apply what Paul says to any area of our walk of faith, then I believe it has really significant implications. He says not to cause problems for others with weak conscience or faith just because we have the right to do something. Really, the root of this is that we need to love and serve others. And so, just because we CAN do something, doesn't mean we SHOULD. We need to help build each other up in the faith, not cause one another to struggle. If we apply that to anything we do in the ministry, it might make us rethink what we do and how we do it.

Paul also says that those people who think they know a lot, really know nothing. He also says that God has no question about who really loves him. So sometimes believers "worry" about who else is getting into heaven, but really, determining who is and isn't saved in our churches is not our concern. God knows people's hearts and he is both a God of love and of justice.

In Kings, there is an interesting story about listening to The Lord and not. Jehosaphat, when curious if they should go to battle, said "first, let's ask The Lord." He knew that God would provide an answer and that he should follow it. They go into battle, but the text doesn't really say if they won or not. Jehosaphat lives, so that's a bonus. He was a man who tried to obey The Lord, even if he didn't do a perfect job at it. He wanted to listen to God. Then there's Ahab. He hates one of his prophets because he always brings him "bad" news. Really, this prophet brings the truth, and Ahab doesn't want to hear the truth, he wants to hear what is easy or benefits him most. So often people don't want to really serve and honor and follow The Lord because they are worried about what God will ask them to do. And it's true. God asks us to do things for the kingdom that may be hard or out of our comfort zone. And when we are only half-heartedly following God, we don't want to hear those things. It's when we are completely sold out to our Lord, that asking him what he wants becomes less of a burden and more of a privilege. A very interesting story about the opposing sides of listening.

Amos warns that the rich people who live in luxury and don't care about their nation will be the first who are dragged off as captives. He goes on later to say that they have turned justice and fairness into bitter poison--two things that were meant for good, they use to destroy. God isn't saying that it is bad to be rich, but what he is saying is that it is detrimental to not care about our country, to not care about real justice and fairness, to not care about those in need. That is what God doesn't like. And so instead, if we have a caring and compassionate heart, like Jesus, we please The Lord.