"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.""
Romans 15:2-3
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Have you ever heard someone who said they lived however they wanted and didn't care about what other people think? Perhaps you've said it yourself. It certainly is a free and confident way of living. It allows one to live the way they want without worrying about what other people think. While we may not want to worry about what others think, what about what God thinks? Do we worry about that? Or do we disregard His opinion along with everyone else's?
What about 1 Corinthians 8:9 - "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to them that are weak." If one of those things we do causes someone else to stumble, that's as much on us as it is them. If someone is trying to stop a bad habit, sees us do it, becomes influenced, and starts to do it again, that's as much our fault as it is theirs. Yes, they're the ones who started the habit up again, but we influenced them. According to this verse, we should have taken their weakness into account. We should have cared what they thought of what we were doing. There are many grey areas amongst Christians; things that are not specifically prohibited in the Bible, some say that makes them okay, some say it's coming too close to the line, some ask why take the risk, and some stay away because it's controversial and they see no need to take part. I won't get into a list, but a good example would be alcoholic beverages. What's my opinion? I think Jesus should be our only addiction; God should be our only source of comfort and stress relief. For the sake of this topic, I will mention that alcohol is something that could be seen as a stumbling block to someone else. You want to go out and party? That's between you and God, but don't disregard the opinion of others when your actions could be, say, causing a recovering alcoholic to bend just a little. And when it comes to addictions, "just a little" could be all they need to fall right back into the addiction. We need to care about how we present ourselves. We need to care about how others (especially the world) see us.
As Christians, we are supposed to be representing Christ in everything we do. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul encourages us to. "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." If Christ truly lives in us, the world should see it. What do they see when they look at you? Do they see a reflection of Christ? Or do they see someone who's just living life their own way? If you've never thought about it that way, perhaps that's a question to start considering.
There is another side to the coin, however. In Matthew 10:22, Jesus tells us, "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake..." For Christians, the world will not agree with what we believe. If we're living by what the Bible says, they will judge us, look down on us, make fun of us, persecute us, etc. While we can't change our beliefs to suit them, we shouldn't disregard them. We can still pray for them. Those who don't live by what the Bible says, they are still loved by God. He still wants to have a relationship with them just as much as with us. If they judge us and taunt us, the best thing we can do is be a witness to them. John 15:18 says, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you." We can't turn our backs and plug our ears to tune out the insults. God still loves them, and we need to follow that example. We need to show them His love, and try to help them see how wonderful a relationship with God truly is.
