What does the freedom I have in Christ mean to the people around me?

Paul continues his teaching on how we should live our lives among other believers especially in the area of diet.

What do you do when you want to spend time with a friend?  Many times, we may invite friends over for something to eat or we may meet others for a meal at a restaurant.

We have some friends who have an issue with any type of pork.  We we visit with them we eat turkey sausage and turkey bacon and we eat some more turkey or something else, but not pork.  Get the picture?

How should we respond?  While I may not share the opinion on bacon and ham, I should not seek to flaunt my freedom to eat what I want.

Paul says, “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.”

Years ago, a friend of mine expressed his freedom to consume a drink with a meal from time to time. He reasoned that the Scripture does not prohibit any alcohol and so he invited a new family of believers to his home for Thanksgiving where he served wine with the meal.

In his desire to express the freedom he experienced with Christ, he didn’t realize the family had a history of alcoholism and as a result, the new family suffered a severe setback in their faith.

In this passage Paul encourages us to “pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding” and “it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.”

Think about your influence on your family, friends and those you at work.  Are you encouraging them by your daily walk or could you be causing someone to stumble?