We’ve talked a lot about our rights in this session. It’s not normal to give them up. But we surrender them because we follow a savior who did it first. The reasons he chose selflessness are the same for us. And that’s what we’ll look at today.
Open up your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 10:23–33.
23 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. 24 Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
25 So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
27 If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. 28 (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. 29 It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? 30 If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?
31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. 33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
1 Corinthians 10:23–33 (NLT)
After you’ve read the passage, re-read verses 1 Corinthians 10:24 and 1 Corinthians 10:31. According to these two verses, what reasons does Paul give to the Corinthians for giving up their rights?
Paul tells the Corinthians to seek the good of their fellow Christians. In addition, everything they do should be for God’s glory. That’s what Jesus did. And He invites us to do the same.
We give up our rights because we follow a savior who did it first—and He did it for us. So we set aside our own agendas, our selfishness, and our pride so that other Christians and many more can follow Jesus too.
As we close out this week, think about one person in your life—maybe someone in your church or family, or workplace.
Maybe you could give up some of your time and money to take them out to a meal, or could you sacrifice some energy to take care of their kids. Or maybe you could set aside a Saturday morning to mow their lawn.
What’s one thing you could do to sacrifice for them?
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
One thing I recently have been doing is making meals for my cousins just trying to selflessly serve them and show them that I care for them and that I want to do share a meal with them. Sometimes it get tiring but it’s definitely been a joy seeing my cousins trying to get interested in cooking and hanging out with me. Been trying to incorporate ways to show them the gospel without forcing it on them. So sometimes before meals I pray with them.
I’m not really sure who I could sacrifice for at this exact moment as I feel very overwhelmed with things but one thing I have been doing for a while now is helping some of the guys at the gym. It has been rewarding to see the progress of all of the guys and also to be able to see them grow in their own unique way. Sometimes it is hard because I have a lot of work and other duties which take a lot of time so this has required a bit of sacrifice to be able to do it consistently. I am thankful that God has allowed me to do this and I hope that this is something that God will use to further His Kingdom.