On Peer Pressure and Causing Others to Stumble

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My stepson Josh from America (I’m not a wicked stepmother, really!) is staying with us for 6 months and wrote something recently which I thought would be good to post on here:

Rhoda and I were out jogging and she told me a story about Eric Liddell the Olympic champion. Apparently the qualifications for his sport were held on a Sunday and refused to attend because he believed it is against scripture.

 At first, I thought this was rather silly but Rhoda told me that it could be interpreted in the Bible either way that we should or should not work on Sunday. It was then that I was also reminded of the verse about stumbling.

 “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” Romans 14:13,14

 Even if I knew 100% that I was right, that it is no harm to work on Sunday, it would be wrong of me to try to get someone else to work on a Sunday who believes differently. There are various ways in which certain things in the Bible are interpreted by different people.

 This is one of the reasons it is very important for us to walk closely with God by constantly reading his message to us.

 We shouldn’t simply be fed like children every Sunday, rather we must teach ourselves how to fish that we may feed ourselves spiritually for the rest of our lives and even teach others the same.

 We must follow what we believe in our hearts to be right in the eyes of the Lord. For instance: if I believed that it is alright to drink as long as it is not in excess and only moderation, but one of my brothers in Christ feels the opposite. I should not pressure him to drink, nor should I try to convince him why he is wrong.

 It is never wrong to be more spiritual and less worldly, even if the action in question might not be a sin.

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25

 We should look out for each other, and let others know if we believe they are straying from a righteous path. This does not mean, however, that we should put ourselves in a situation we cannot handle spiritually. 

We must guard ourselves against temptation even while we help carry our brothers burdens. It is never wrong to err on the side of the Spirit, when considering matters of sin.

 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Galatians 5:13 

Part of ‘Living the Life’ on Wednesdays

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