Dan and I had been riding for quite some time. It was a warm July day, yet the breeze from the ride felt amazing. One might have thought that I would have realized that my sunglasses were only working for one eye. But I did not. We had been riding for quite some time. Dan did not notice either until we decided to stop for a break.
During our break, I had removed my sunglasses for a brief moment and Dan was about to snap a picture.
“Wait Dan,” I blurted, “I look better with my sunglasses!” I put them on, he snapped the picture and immediately began laughing out loud.. I still had no clue anything was wrong whatsoever.
Dan showed me the photo and I began laughing, too. I should have been able to realize that I had lost one of the lenses to my sunglasses, but I did not. I could not help but wonder how long I had been riding around the city of Evansville looking so silly!
A mirror would have helped for sure. But at least Dan was there and was able to help me correct my silly ways.
How many of us have found ourselves busy living the Christian life, enjoying the ride, all the while looking just as silly because we have not taken time to look in the mirror of the Word of God? This is the most important mirror we own. God teaches us the value of the Word of God as a mirror in James 1:21-25. This looking glass is referred to as the perfect law of liberty.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:25
It is a perfect law! It is complete and it lacks nothing. It is the law of liberty. Free, of course, from the law of sin and death which brings us into captivity. (Romans 7:23-8:2)
My Strong’s Concordance points out that true liberty is living as we should and not as we please.
This is exactly what the Apostle Paul is trying to teach us in 1 Corinthians 8. You have heard of faith over fear, right? What about love over liberty?
But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? I Corinthians 8:9-11
Our Christian liberty should always be limited by our love. Our love for Jesus especially, but also our love for our Christian brothers and sisters.
I lost part of my sunglasses that day. It was a glaring error to those who saw me on my journey.
When we lose our love to liberty, we can look silly to others and especially to a lost and dying world.
The Word of God is available to check and examine ourselves. Look in it often so there is no love lost to liberty.
Loser Bible Study Series Theme Verse:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:35
“Lose” from the Greek word “Apollymi” means “to destroy fully.” It is translated shall in I Corinthians 8:11, our verse for today.
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