My Right

 Have you ever heard anyone say, "It's my life, I can do whatever I want"?  The apostle Paul remarked on similar phrasing.  He wrote to the Corinthians,

"I have the right to do anything," - but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything" - but I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12).

There is licence to do anything but it won't all be beneficial.  There is warning too to not be overcome and domineered by what we feel we have a right to be doing.

There had been a lot of sexual immorality, greed, drunkeness, slandering and more of such behavior among the Corinthian believers prior to their conversion (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).  They had been doing whatever they had wanted and felt they'd had a 'right' to be engaged therein.  However, after they had been sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, they mostly all  had stopped being mastered by those things of the old nature.

Yet still, they were being mastered by disputes and lawsuits instead of letting themselves be cheated and wronged.  Whoa!  Not easy here.  Paul went through a lot of this against him so he had a 'right' to strongly admonish them (ahem, as well as his being an apostle).  He had endured.

The point I target here is to not be mastered by the things of the flesh even if they may seem harmless and to be your 'right' to do them.

A Christian Chinese couple may feel they have a right to wear the Qun Gua* at their wedding, but the dragon and phoenix embroidered on the resplendant red gowns may cause another believer to stumble in their faith.

If the believer had come out of a background of worshipping  such creatures and then sees other believers wearing such, it may be "harmless" to the couple but detrimental to the 'weak' believer.  He or she may feel, "Oh, it must be ok to still revere those creatures."

Or, someone may feel a sip or two of alcoholic beverage is ok.  However, if the amount and the frequency increases to the point of becoming an alcoholic, that believer has been mastered by having exerted their 'right' to have a drink.

Having a drink had been 'beneficial' for Timothy (see 1 Timothy 5:23).  In fact, Paul suggested it, medicinally, for Timothy.  We do not read of Timothy becoming mastered by his 'medicine' though.

Let us be aware and cautious of the 'rights' we allow ourselves.  Is it only for our own sakes and interest, or are we following the Lord's interests?  Will we further His Kingdom by what we allow in our lives because it is our 'right'?

For the Corinthians, pursuing  their 'rights' got them into a mess (see 1 Corinthians 6).  If we allow ourselves to be mastered by our own interests, that has become idolatrous and definitely not beneficial to ourselves.

Our God and Father, Judge of all, we human beings are often so selfish and wayward.  We want our 'rights' and often insist on having them.  We do not want to be slighted or used or cheated.  No one does.  However, You sanctified and justified us through Your Son Jesus, who had so many of His rights violated, and Holy Spirit, so that we are enabled to follow YOUR interests, relinquishing our own.  Thank You for Holy Spirit who helps us to give  up our 'rights' to You and to not be mastered by them.  May we make Jesus our only master.  This is our right as Your child.  

Thank You in Jesus' name.

                                               ~ERC  November 2023~

Based on 1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV - YouVersion.

Sing, All to Jesus I surrender, along with Robin Mark Lyrics, Praise Adonai.

*Qun Gua - a beautiful, striking, red traditional Chinese wedding gown.