20 June 2016
Smoking is bad for you
Mark 8:36
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
We all have free will. And it makes sense to use our own free will for our own benefit. People are certainly free to smoke cigarettes, for example, but they shouldn’t complain when they turn up with lung cancer in a few years. Smoking is a freedom, but isn’t beneficial. Smoking is bad for you.
The Apostle Paul talks about freedom being beneficial not only for ourselves but for others too...
You say, “I am allowed to do anything” but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)
No one is stopping me from doing whatever pops into my head, but consequences surely do! I don’t want to lose my relationships, go into debt, or get lung cancer, so there are lots of things I am free to do that I will use my free choices to NOT do. And these same truths can be applied spiritually. I find that following Jesus and living how he prescribes is completely beneficial. I certainly am free to repay an insult with an insult in return, but God’s Word says not to do that (1 Peter 3:9), and God made me; he certainly knows what is beneficial for my heart. And, I must say, the times I have used my free choice to insult others did not turn out to be beneficial for me at all. I found that getting mad just makes me madder. God really does know what he’s talking about, and it’s always for my benefit. Insulting others is bad for me.
Dear God,
Thank you for your Word instructing me. I choose to follow your Son, Jesus, because of the incredible benefits. Thank you for peace and comfort, love and protection, wisdom and joy. I love you so much and thank you for my free will. Help me to use it to please you because that really is what I want to do. And I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Smoking is bad for you
Mark 8:36
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
We all have free will. And it makes sense to use our own free will for our own benefit. People are certainly free to smoke cigarettes, for example, but they shouldn’t complain when they turn up with lung cancer in a few years. Smoking is a freedom, but isn’t beneficial. Smoking is bad for you.
The Apostle Paul talks about freedom being beneficial not only for ourselves but for others too...
You say, “I am allowed to do anything” but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)
No one is stopping me from doing whatever pops into my head, but consequences surely do! I don’t want to lose my relationships, go into debt, or get lung cancer, so there are lots of things I am free to do that I will use my free choices to NOT do. And these same truths can be applied spiritually. I find that following Jesus and living how he prescribes is completely beneficial. I certainly am free to repay an insult with an insult in return, but God’s Word says not to do that (1 Peter 3:9), and God made me; he certainly knows what is beneficial for my heart. And, I must say, the times I have used my free choice to insult others did not turn out to be beneficial for me at all. I found that getting mad just makes me madder. God really does know what he’s talking about, and it’s always for my benefit. Insulting others is bad for me.
Dear God,
Thank you for your Word instructing me. I choose to follow your Son, Jesus, because of the incredible benefits. Thank you for peace and comfort, love and protection, wisdom and joy. I love you so much and thank you for my free will. Help me to use it to please you because that really is what I want to do. And I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
RSS Feed