Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
This chapter of the Bible, I think, is sometimes one of the hardest to read when it comes to being a Christian. We live in such a world where we want everything to be black and white, right or wrong. Especially in our faith walks, sometimes we just want a simple yes or no on whether something is good or bad. But like a lot of the world... sometimes stuff just operates in the gray.
I know, in my personal walk, as I have gone from a worldly to a Christlike lifestyle, I had to make changes in my life. I started to feel conviction about what I wore, what I ate, what I drank, what I watched, what I did, and what I said. Living a Christlike life required some sacrifices in the things that I did. Some sins were easy to remove; the Lord helped me tremendously, but other sins were harder and took a long time to remove. I am still not perfect by any means, and there are still sin and temptations I face. But what about when it comes to these “gray” areas of our lives?
This is what the Roman church was facing. You see, in the early church days, many people were converting, and many of them had different backgrounds and religions they lived by before meeting Jesus. So with all of these different backgrounds, there were issues of division on “gray” areas.
As Christians, we are to walk alongside and support one another. We all feel different convictions about different topics. But what are examples that we find division in?
Social media - How much is too much?
Modesty - Culture vs preference?
Worship styles - Traditional vs contemporary?
Sports - Missing church for games/tournaments?
Money - Should you own expensive things?
Humor - What jokes are okay?
Screen time – What is the ideal limit?
Dating – Where is the line?
Parties – Should you go if there is drinking?
Alcohol – When/how much, if at all?
Mental health – Varying views on therapy?
Music – Only Christian music?
Holidays – Is it okay to celebrate Halloween?
As you can see, there are so many different areas of our lives that sometimes fall into “gray” areas. Many of the decisions we face are not so much a sin issue but more a wisdom issue. Is it simply a wise thing to do? I do not know your life and all the ways you are tempted or the sins you struggle with. But what I do know is that you are part of the family of Christ, so I will do my best to point you to Christ in all aspects of my life.
How do you do this? I have some questions you can ask yourself when faced with a “gray” area of your life.
Am I doing this to honor God or myself?
Why do I want to do this?
Will doing this cause others to sin?
Is it controlling me?
Use these questions to prayerfully make decisions and invite God into the “gray.” If you feel a conviction, it might be time to make an adjustment. If you still feel like you can’t decide, invite someone older and more mature in their faith to walk alongside you. Be brothers and sisters and walk with wisdom together in Christ.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.