Just Because We Can *

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.
1st Corinthians 10:23-24 NLT

The Talleys used to sing a song titled, The Only Word for Grace. The lyrics to the first verse are, Red can't explain the beauty of a rose. White can't tell the magic in the air when it snows. Marvelous can't half convey the grace of the King. The only word for grace is amazing.

Grace. Unmerited favor. That which makes all things lawful. Isn't God's grace absolutely amazing? However, as our text for today so eloquently states, just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should. As Christians - those who profess to follow Christ - it is no longer an option to live only for ourselves with no thought for how it will affect others. And the way we live our lives DOES affect others, whether or not we are intentional about our actions.

Christ led by example. He could have called ten thousand angels to free Himself from the whole process leading up to, and including, the cross at Calvary. He had the authority and the power and the freedom to do that. It would have been much easier on Jesus personally if He had. He would never have had to endure the beatings and the humiliation and the torture. He wouldn't have had to suffer being brutally murdered... It was an option, a choice He could have made. Instead, He chose the Father's will over His own. 

He chose to lay down His life to pay the debt for our sins, so we could have eternal life with the Father. He knew it was going to be more pain than you and I can imagine. He knew He would be murdered. He chose to make a way for our salvation knowing full well that there were, and are, many who would reject Him and the provision He made. Did that stop Him? No. Does it make His incredible gift any less valuable because there are those who reject Him? No.

We are to pattern our lives after His. Everything Jesus did while on this earth was about our Father first and then for others. Should we do less just because we can?

Prayer:

Father,
           Bring Godly conviction and true repentance to our lives. By Your Grace, let us live our lives according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen