Daily Lesson for November 27, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verses 4 through 13:

4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

Many years ago I was involved pretty heavily in a weekly soup kitchen run by our church and several others in the community. One week we received some ritually sacralized meat from the Mosque in town. One of the more conservative churches in the group refused to serve the "Muslim meat". A group from our more liberal church took offense. They said if they didn't want to a part of an outfit that treated Muslims with such contempt. One of them said that if the others were going to be consistent they needed to quit drinking Starbucks coffee because the then-Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz was Jewish. It pretty near fell apart there, and the whole operation was soon in question.

Eventually saner heads prevailed. We worked out a solution that the Muslim meat would be served on the liberal church nights. Nobody went hungry. And to my knowledge, nobody became a Muslim -- or Jewish.

The point being, try to work it out. Some will be more conscientious than others. Some will be more conservative than others -- sometimes a lot more. But try to work it out with each other.

"For the kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rev. 14:17).

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Over the weekend we will read through the rest of 1 Corinthians chapters 9 through 16.