"Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial."
Your future is found in I Corinthians 10:23. It reveals two options: permissible or beneficial. And your destiny will be determined by which option you choose.
Who we become is determined by whether we settle for what is permissible or strive for what is beneficial. It's so tempting to live down to what is required. It's so tempting to live in our comfort zone. It's so tempting to take the path of least resistance, but the path of least resistance never takes you where you really want to go!
What am I getting at? Well, are you setting for what is permissible? Or are you striving for what is beneficial? Are you giving God leftovers? Or are you seeking first the kingdom of God? Where are you compromising? Where have you become comfortable with what is permissible?
Don't let short-term comfort short-circuit God's long-terms plans for your life. Spiritual short-cuts always turn into detours! Take the hard way. Take the high road. Strive for what is beneficial.
Your future is found in I Corinthians 10:23. It reveals two options: permissible or beneficial. And your destiny will be determined by which option you choose.
Who we become is determined by whether we settle for what is permissible or strive for what is beneficial. It's so tempting to live down to what is required. It's so tempting to live in our comfort zone. It's so tempting to take the path of least resistance, but the path of least resistance never takes you where you really want to go!
What am I getting at? Well, are you setting for what is permissible? Or are you striving for what is beneficial? Are you giving God leftovers? Or are you seeking first the kingdom of God? Where are you compromising? Where have you become comfortable with what is permissible?
Don't let short-term comfort short-circuit God's long-terms plans for your life. Spiritual short-cuts always turn into detours! Take the hard way. Take the high road. Strive for what is beneficial.
10 Comments:
Mark,
Good stuff. I see a lot of a new generation of "permissible" things now that seem to be taking the church in the wrong direction, if only subtly. I think the thought is: It's not WRONG. But, is it RIGHT? Is it BENEFICIAL? I know you probably can't deal with specifics on this blog, but I'd love to hear someone preach this topic and hit some of the main issues they see this needing to be lived out.
Blessings friend,
Nathan
i keep telling a few people "just bc you can, doesn't mean you should." you explained this so very well. thank you. thank you. thank you! i've faced this a lot since being in ministry. great stuff!
Mark, I have a devotional on sheseeks.org this week on this very thing! Thanks for the confirmation, as it has been a really hard week. Funny how when you share something the enemy tries to get you even harder..in that area!!!
Mark,
I don't know if we should interpret that passage as a way to find benefit for ourselves. I Cor. 10:13 isn't a way of securing our "future". Paul is saying that all things are not beneficial "to others". For example, the freedom to eat and drink certain things.
I would say, however, that we certainly benefit long term from obeying God by preferring others over ourselves.
I'm not saying you're wrong in principle, just that the verse in question is not promoting an idea that the opposite of permissible is "our own benefit". Blessings, Rob
Good post...I was thinking about this topic this morning...
I recommend Andy Stanley's book, "The Best Question Ever"
Simply profound...I will take the HIGH ROAD. Thank you for the encouragement! Gladwell
Kingdom Seeker,
definitely see "beneficial" as what is most glorifying to God and edifying to us. I think those are one and the same.
Probably just a byproduct of my paradigm, but nothing is more beneficial than obedience. It doesn't mean that my motivation is selfish. But you can't do something that is spiritually beneficial and not benefit.
Does that make sense?
Mark
Mark,
I understand (i think) where you're coming from. I just think there are too many times when we are looking to the scriptures with our own benefit as the driving force. The passage you used is all about dying to our own desires for the benefit of others. I just think we should consider the meaning and intent of a passage before we "use" it to prove our own messages.
The passage, by the way, isn't saying that permissible and beneficial are opposites. Sometimes what is permissible is highly beneficial and sometimes not. -peace
The very verse I use as my guide in the non-essential matter of whether to imbibe in moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages. Despite fundamentalist tradition, an activity not specifically prohibited anywhere in Scripture. Drunkenness, yes. Drinking, no. However, I do press toward what's "best", not what's "okay". So, I make the personal decision to abstain in favor of a better way. Thanks for the good word, Mark!
Love this post. There's a political science term for "permissible" -- it's called satisficing. It's in opposition to optimization (or "beneficial" in your terms). Thought you, as a knowledge geek, would like this!
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