“All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].” 1 Corinthians 10:23 AMP
Anybody that knows me knows that I love to eat. Virginia Woolf said it best: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” However, there comes a time when I have to push back from the table, like when my clothes become increasingly snug. At these times, I will modify my eating habits in an effort to do better. This all works well until I get to my parents house for Sunday dinner. We eat very well each Sunday, and we often dine on food that’s not necessarily “healthy.” Those around me will eat whatever is prepared, even if they know that I am trying to eat better. But thank God for my wife. She will often “suffer” with me, though she doesn’t have to, because she doesn’t want me to stumble. She is mindful of my well-being as much as her own.
The scripture above was taken from a passage in I Corinthians in which Paul is talking about Christians eating meat offered to idols. Paul explains that, while eating meat offered to these nonexistent gods may not be sin, Christians should be mindful of these actions, especially when it comes to other people who are watching you. This lesson can really be applied to other areas of our lives. We often have to make decisions about music we listen to, movies we watch, activities we participate in, even jokes we laugh at. Variations in these areas sometimes require us to decide if doing something permissible is something that will benefit us, especially when others (both Christians and non-believers) are watching us. We should not live by trying to figure out how much we can get away with and still be considered saved. Instead, as Paul instructs, we should not only do those things which are edifying to our own spiritual health, but we should also do those things which will benefit others.