I have a child who hates making decisions. He always looks at me for what he should do. Now that he is a teenager I am trying to force him to make more decisions. Stress comes on his face as he determines the best thing to do. One of the questions he asks me is “Is that the best choice?” We then go through a series of questions trying to determine what is best. Ultimately, he usually decides to pass unless its food. We should be asking ourselves the same question: “Is that the best choice?”
1 Corinthians 6:12
Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.
One Messed Up Church
The church in Corinth was a mess. If somebody could do something wrong, they were doing it. Paul sent two letters (probably more) telling what was okay and what wasn’t. In this verse, he is conveying to them that even though it is not a sin to do it, it may not be the best choice. For them, it was a choice whether to eat food sacrificed to idols at pagan temples. Those priests would have leftover meat, and they would sell it cheaper than in the market. Paul tells them if it is going to cause someone to stumble into sin they should avoid doing it.
Show Restraint
Sometimes not doing something is better than doing it. You may not realize it at the moment, but later on, you were glad you showed restraint. When we are confronted with a tough decision, we should always ask if it will cause you to sin. If it doesn’t then we should ask “Is that the best choice?” We may be permitted to do it, but it doesn’t give glory to God and may cause confusion.
People have difficulty with grey areas. They want every decision to be either black or white. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. Most of life falls into the grey areas, and that is where we need God’s Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. A good guideline is if you can live without it then you should probably pass. What you will find with this minimalist mentality is that you are better off down the road. Being untethered by our decisions is a very freeing feeling.