Are You a Stumbling Block?

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”

I Corinthians 8:9

How considerate are you and I of others?

I mean, even in the church, do we live our lives and exercise our freedom in Christ with only a view to ourselves?

Have we forgotten that we need to consider others and how our behavior impacts their walk?

Does consideration of others cause us to refrain from things we might otherwise have engaged in or do we go headlong forward in the freedom given regardless of what others may conclude from our actions?

This is what Paul is addressing in I Corinthians 8:7-13.

There, he encourages us to act with others in mind and to surrender (as it were) our freedom or liberty in Christ so as not to offend or guide a weaker brother or sister in the wrong direction for them.

Do we respond in the considerate way or do we think to ourselves:

“I’m free to do this and they just need to grow up and understand that!”

I think we know which one is the self-centered response and which one is the Christ-centered response.