Romans 12:9-21
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
Liberty: Freedom with responsibility. What a great way to define liberty! But have you ever thought about how our answering the personal call to worship will affect others? When we are worshiping God in the way we are supposed to, the effect on the Church as a whole – as well as on the rest of the world – will be life-changing.
So let’s look at the list that Paul gave the believers in Rome. It is quite the list, isn’t it? Over ten things for us to see as a way to worship the God of Heaven through our interactions with others. Some involve actual actions to do or refrain from, others refer to our attitudes towards others. Notice that even how we should treat our enemies makes the list.
What would our families look like if they followed these ways of worship? What about our church? What would it be like to know that love was being given and expressed sincerely? If we would live in harmony with each other the world would notice we were different and God would get the glory. And His getting the glory is what praise and worship is all about, isn’t it?
Yes, Paul was right in our key verse, everything is permissible but not everything is profitable or constructive. That brings us back to liberty. Yes, we have rights as Christians but they come with responsibilities. We are not our own, we have been purchased with Jesus’ life and that means we owe Him more than we could ever pay. And He deserves our worship. Remember to focus on self means to worship self. To focus on Jesus and others means we are worshiping Him.
As it has been said:
Jesus first
Others second
Yourself third
This brings JOY.
Making It Personal
Which of the items on the list convicted you? Does the thought of having to live this list towards others to fully worship God make you uneasy? Are you willing to work on those items that you feel convicted about so that you can truly worship Him?
Making It Personal Kids
What does it mean to love someone without just pretending to? What are some things we can do to get along with others? Choose at least one person that you will show Christian love to today.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for showing us that one way we can worship You and bring You glory is by treating those around us as You would treat them. Help us to grow more and more like You in our actions and words so that the world sees You when they look at us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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