Convicted!!

When the Lord convicts me of something, there is no middle ground.  I feel that if He speaks to my heart and tells me to do something, I’d better take notice.  For years I watched “ER” (remember that show?).  And then the Lord convicted my heart that I should not be watching that show because it was just not honoring to Him.  And so I quit watching the show (and the other shows that He has convicted me about through the years).  I have similarly felt convicted to keep a careful watch over what shows my kids watch.

But there are other believers who watched “ER” and saw no problem with it.  There are kids in believing homes who watch shows my kids aren’t allowed to watch.  Meanwhile, there are other Christian homes that don’t even have a television.

How do we reconcile our differences?

There are some matters that are truths for all of us. When there is an explicit command in the Bible, we all need to stand up and take notice. But then there are other matters that are matters of personal conviction.  These are matters where you and I may feel very strongly, because the Lord has convicted our hearts and has asked us to take a stand in a certain area.  But just because God has asked me to live a certain way does not necessarily mean that He has asked you to take this same stand.  We need to be oh-so-careful not to assume that God has asked everyone to do everything He has asked of us.

Even if you and I have the same life situation…if we are both 38 year old pastor’s wives and mothers of four kids…what God asks of you may be entirely different than what He is asking of me.

Therefore, we need to be gracious with each other.  We need to have grace-filled conversations.  We may certainly, lovingly, discuss with our brother and sisters how the Lord is convicting our hearts (as I do in this blog).  But then we must each consider what is the truth of Scripture, and what has the Lord asked of us as individuals.  We need to go to the Lord and seek His will for our own lives.  He might ask you to make a similar commitment to what He is asking of me….and He might not.

Legalism occurs when we expect others to live by our convictions.  Let’s consider a few examples.

-To drink or not to drink?  Some of believers feel very strongly that they, as believers, should not consume alcohol.  Other believers feel just as strongly that it is fine to have a drink.  The unshakable truth in the matter, is that the Bible tells us not to be drunk (Ephesians 5:18).  We need to hold each other accountable in the issue of not being drunk, but must be careful not to judge each other’s convictions when it comes to alcohol consumption or abstinence.  In this passage, we see that God asked some people to give up alcohol consumption, while not forbidding it for others.

“If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite,

setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way,

³ they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks” Numbers 6:2-3

-Giving up internet.  Several years ago we felt called by God to get rid of our internet connection in our home and give the saved money to missionary friends.  It would be legalistic for me to tell all my friends that they too needed to give up their internet connection, or for me to judge them because they had internet in their homes.  Since that time (obviously), we felt that we could continue to give to missions and re-establish internet in our home so it was more accessible to our kids for school work.  God may call you to give to one ministry, and me to give to another.  He might ask me to sacrifice something so that I can give more, and might give you the ability to earn a better wage so that you are able to give more.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give.

And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.

“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

2 Corinthians 9:7

-Homeschooling.  For years our family felt that God wanted us to send our children to public schools.  Recently, however, God has placed it on our hearts that we should consider homeschooling our kids.  The Bible tells us that we should train our children up in the way they should go.  This can be done whether you choose to homeschool or not.  Just because God calls my family to homeschool, does not mean He wants all Christian families to homeschool.  We have friends who were called to homeschool for a season, and then were called to send their kids back out into the public school.  No matter what educational option the Lord has for you and your family, it is your job as a parent to teach your children the Word of God.

¹⁸ “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  

Deuteronomy 11: 18-20

-Facebook.  I mentioned in my previous post the Lord has convicted me to stay off of Facebook.  I have several reasons for this, that I am happy to share with others when they ask.  I also have friends who had Facebook accounts for several years before feeling compelled to shut down their accounts. However, I am well aware that someone else may be called TO evangelize on Facebook.  I dare not judge the ones whom God has called to Facebook, and they dare not judge the ones who have been called to not participate in Facebook.  The unshakable truth…we are called to glorify God in whatever we do.  So whether we are on Facebook, or not, we should use our words to glorify the Lord and edify others.

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

We’re all called to take up our cross and follow….

but we’re not all called to go live in Africa.

We’re all called to guard our hearts…

but we’re not all called to throw away our televisions.

We’re all called to care for orphans…

but we’re not all called to adopt.

We’re all called to share the message of salvation…

but we’re not all called to be pastors.

So, let’s work on living out God’s commands and the convictions He has placed on our hearts….and  let the Lord convict others. Let’s not expect each other to live by the same set of convictions that we ourselves have received.  And let’s encourage each other.  If we have a friend who is convicted to live a certain way, let’s help them live out their convictions. I think this is what the apostle Paul was getting at when he shared:

¹⁹ Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. ²⁰ When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. ²¹ When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law,^[e] I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.

²² When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. ²³ I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

And in everything, let’s be full of grace.