Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 10:31-33.
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
This passage teaches us “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”. Our lives are given as a gift from God and we show our gratitude by living for Him. This means following the path Jesus showed us, loving God and our brothers and sisters.
While Paul says he tries “to please everyone in everything I do”, it doesn’t extend to things outside God’s law. He wants everyone to know Christ came to save us and when we accept the sacrifice He made, we become part of the plan of salvation. Through this we “do what is best for others so that many may be saved”.
Paul encountered many things in his missionary travels that didn’t “fit” with the religious customs of Judaism, but were not prohibited by God. In Acts 10 we read of Peter being given a vision regarding food that was “unclean” under Jewish law. He is told “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean” (Acts 10:15). God calls us to live together under His commandments, even if our customs and culture are different.
Loving Lord, we are amazed at the diversity You have created. Help us to see our differences as gifts that strengthen our faith and love one another as You first loved us. Amen.
