DAILY MEDITATION

Looking at it one way, you could say, “Anything goes. Because of God’s immense generosity and grace, we don’t have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster.” But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. Eat anything sold at the butcher shop, for instance; you don’t have to run an “idolatry test” on every item. “The earth,” after all, “is God’s, and everything in it.” That “everything” certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop. If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn’t, and you don’t want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping. But, except for these special cases, I’m not going to walk around on eggshells worrying about what small-minded people might say; I’m going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large-minded Master has already said. If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say? I thanked God for it and he blessed it! So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.

I Corinthians 10:23-33 (The Message)

Live and Enjoy life as an opportunity to glorify, reveal God in and through life, not only your life is illuminated but you also provide illumination for others to enjoy God’s promise of life and life more abundantly in order to LIVE well. LIVE to thrive in the fullness of God promises by acting in each and every one of your circumstances with the focus on what should be for your life as promised by God. Paul declares that he forgets the things which are behind; where he was or what happen, even where he is and what is going on by making the decision to focus forward to what God has promised and declared. Do not allow the circumstances of your life or even your limitations to focus you on just surviving, press forward to the higher calling of God. It is God’s desire that you thrive, pressing forward and fully living in the promises of God. The things of your life may look complicated and require of you some sort f complex or deep response, resist that and use your common sense, your commonality with the Spirit of God and life as it should be and make choices to do that which leads and guides you to your spring of life-giving water, the internal explosion of the power of God, His purpose and plan for your life, springing forth. Your choices, decisions should reflect the glory of God and His ownership, direction and guidance, of life to His promise, pleasing Him. In pleasing God we act in faith and as a result God rewards us for the diligently seeking Him, His purpose and plan, taking action in our everyday walking around life to LIVE and to LIVE well. Live and Enjoy the promises of God now by deciding, choosing to LIVE in the fullness of God’s promises, LIVE well no matter what because God has promised that if you would believe, have faith, you will overcome and inherit all things!