Don’t Be a Stumbling Block

When I was in middle school and high school, I remember hearing a lot about peer pressure. I learned to be aware when others were pressuring me to do things I knew weren’t right or that I wasn’t comfortable with. I also learned how important it was to respect other people’s boundaries, and not encourage them to participate in things they were uncomfortable with.

As we look at Paul’s writings, we recognize that he also cares about peer pressure and our actions as Christians toward others. Paul has a large heart and deep concern not only for those who know the Lord but also for the community as a whole, including those who are not living as Christians.

In 1 Corinthians 8:9, Paul writes, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” During the time of this letter, people were dealing with a dilemma when it came to  eating meat offered to idols, even those who didn’t practice sacrificing animals as a form of worship. Those who practiced their faith knew they had freedom through Jesus’ crucifixion to eat anything; however, eating the meat could have been a stumbling block or created an atmosphere of pressure for those who did not have the same faith.

As Christians, we are called to love and respect one another, even those who may disagree with us and have different beliefs. It is not out of law or duty that Paul says not to eat meat, but out of respect for our brothers and sisters, because we do not desire to lead them astray or put them in a position of guilt or shame in their lives.

In 21st century Western culture, I think it may be fair to say we don’t have the experience or pressure of eating meat of sacrificed animals, but we do have our own dilemmas we face every single day that not only affect us but the people around us.

One that comes to mind in my life is my relationship with alcohol. I have family members who have struggled with alcohol abuse in their lives and faced severe consequences for their actions. I celebrate with joy and love one family member who has more than 10 years of sobriety. Although this looks different for everyone and different situations, I am very aware of my alcohol intake around family members or friends who have struggled with alcohol abuse … not because I feel the same conviction but out of love and respect for my neighbor, because Paul tells us this love looks like not being a stumbling block for others.

Although my primary experience with not being a stumbling block relates to alcohol, it could be many other things for other people. For example, it could be screen time or even gambling. It’s not that these things are inherently wrong, but if someone in your life struggles with setting boundaries, loving them looks like not leading them into temptation.

This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

Job 1:8-12a – And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have You not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. …”

Daniel, a friend of mine, tells me he went through a Job-like experience when he was in high school.

He was living this fairytale life when the lights went out. His world collapsed. Everything fell apart. His guidance counselor at his school knew that Daniel was a Christian. So, he encouraged Daniel to read the book of Job. But not because he wanted to strengthen Daniel’s faith. He wanted to destroy it. He wanted to confront Daniel with the senseless suffering of this world and the cold silence of God. He wanted Daniel to curse God in the dark and reject him. That’s why he suggested Job.

One night, Daniel took his advice. He read the whole book of Job, from start to finish, all 42 chapters in one sitting. There’s an illuminating passage from another part of the Old Testament. It says that people will see in God what they bring to God. To the crooked, God seems tortuous. To the proud, God looks like a monster. But to those who need mercy, God shows Himself merciful. To the broken, God is Savior (see 2 Samuel 22:26-28). Daniel went in Job’s darkness to God that night, broken. He came baptized into the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Daniel sat in the darkness next to Job with just a little light of Christ, and he says that it saved his faith.

The book of Job is not light reading. But Christians do read it in the light of Christ. Jesus’ light does not dispel all the book’s mysteries for us. We read it and are still confronted with the darkness. Why does God allow such suffering to come to some, but not others? Why is God so often silent when we’re in pain? Why doesn’t God do something about this, now? We don’t know what the answers are. We only know Who the answer is. We know who found us when our world fell apart and the lights went out. We know what Jesus did for us on the cross. So, we trust that if God’s love could shine on that darkest day, in the suffering and death of Jesus, then His love will one day finally break through every other shadow of doubt, when Jesus returns to raise the dead and restore our losses. And for now, He sits with us in the darkness. For now, Jesus is enough light to live by.

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, when the darkness comes, show me the way. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.

I Know that Person

In Luke 24:49 (TLB) Jesus said, “And now I will send the Holy Spirit upon you, just as my Father promised.” Who is the Holy Spirit? God as Father? We comprehend that image. God as Jesus, the Son? That idea is manageable as well. But God as Spirit? That word itself is mystical.

One day, I read the words Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit: comforter and friend. I know that Person. That was three decades ago. I no longer think of the Holy Spirit as “the Holy Who?” I now call him our Heaven-Sent Helper.  He is our champion, our advocate, our guide. He comforts and directs us. He indwells, transforms, sustains, and will someday deliver us into our heavenly home.

Read more Help Is Here

Multiplication or Division?

Churches that multiply in love, growth, and impact are built on the foundation of the Gospel. The same goes for individual believers. On the other hand, churches and individuals that build their foundation on anything other than Jesus will eventually divide.

Instead of the church, it becomes the Christians who vote like this or that, the Christians who worship like this or that, the Christians who follow this or that leader, the Christians who agree or disagree about this and that issue. When we divide into parties and make that part our foundation, we lose. And as the old saying goes: United we stand, divided we fall.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that we all have a part to play in the body of Christ, an analogy he will use later in chapter 12. If an arm thinks it is the whole picture, it will be a gruesome and useless sight. Ever heard of any churches like that? But if we humbly accept the role God calls us to play in the body, then we don’t worry about who is preaching and what faction we identify with, but the mission of the kingdom of God.

But how do you know if you are building your foundation on Jesus when every Christian faction says they are doing that? Here are some ways to check yourself:

• Do you spend more time thinking, talking, learning, and giving attention to Jesus or to bringing a Christian perspective to an issue you feel passionate about?
• Do you spend more time and energy building bridges based on what you have in common in Jesus or trying to change what you don’t share in common?
• Are you known for loving Jesus and others or for where you stand on things?

Paul built a foundation by sharing the Gospel. Others were building on it and he welcomed it! Now we can build on that as well by choosing multiplication over division.