July 16

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble. — 1 Cor 8:13 BSB

It’s not enough to know that something isn’t wrong, that we have the right to do certain things.

If we were the only people in the world, with no one else to consider, it would be easy to decide what we can and can’t do. But other people are always around, and we have to think of them when making decisions.

A person might have the right to play loud music in their house every night until midnight. It’s their house, and they can do what they want. But if there’s a sick neighbor who’s disturbed by the noise, what should they do?

That’s when love steps in and tells them to give up their “right” and sacrifice their enjoyment for the sake of someone else. Love is demanding. It asks us to give up our rights, our pride, and our comfort—nothing can stand in its way.