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“Do so to the Lord”

Thoughts for Today:

As one of the leaders of my local church, I sometimes have people approach me with a specific agenda in mind with hopes of influencing me toward their way of thinking. Such was the case on a recent Sunday morning. A man came up to me and asked without preamble, "What do you think about the Sunday evening service?" I assumed from his demeanor, he did not approve of this "new" service time which was launched several months before to deal with over-crowding issues in the morning services. Regardless, I said, "I feel pretty good about it. What about you?" He answered, "Well, I don't like it one little bit!" He then went on to list numerous reasons for his dislike of the new time, none of which were founded in any scriptural reference. I listened patiently. He finally concluded his dissertation by asking, "What are 'we' going to do about it?" I paused for a moment before answering, then said, "I'm not going to do anything, and if you don't like the new time, then I suggest you attend at a time that suits you better." Somehow I don't think that was the answer he was looking for.

However, it pretty well sums up my typical response regarding questions of legalism (our personal list of the do's and don'ts for Christian living). Just because some things don't work for us individually (a Sunday evening church service for example), doesn't mean everyone needs to agree and abstain from what bothers or causes trouble for us. In our passage today, Paul provides one gigantic piece of instruction on this subject: No matter what we choose to do, make certain we do "so to the Lord." In other words, be sure our motivations are solely intended to bring honor and glory to Him. I think that clears up a lot of debatable issues, don't you?

Questions to Ponder:

Is something regarding church governance or practice bothering you? Is it a personal preference or a scriptural issue? All too often the lines between the two can seem a little blurry. Pray and study. Be open-minded to the Spirit's teaching in this area. As we receive personal instruction from the Lord it is important to remember His lesson first applies to us individually -- not necessarily to everyone in our lives.

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.