Love's Don't-Do's

Sometimes you gotta do things - or not do them - for the sake of someone else's conscience (not your conscience, because you already think it's equally okay to do it or not do it). For their sake, not your sake.

In non-essentials.

Love makes you do that!

Because if you go ahead and do it, how's it going to impact on your brother who thinks it's wrong?

You might genuinely sadden him - because he'll feel you've sinned.

He might feel duty-bound to rebuke you.

Or, at least there'll be a silent feeling of not flowing together with you so well.

If you're a leader, you'll have lost some of your capacity to lead, in his eyes.

Or, you might tempt him to do what you've done, which would put him in breach of his own conscience, and he'd feel he's sinned.

When all along, you could have refrained, out of love - seeing it's a non-essential anyway.

Things that are essentials, work no ill - to our neighbour. They edify our neighbour too - not only ourselves.

Something non-essential that's right, can become wrong - if it's done without due respect for your neighbour's conscience, not only your own conscience.

Our goal should be to please - to edify - to make provision for - our brother's conscience, not only our own. For his good.

Love.

Edifying.

Brothers.

Leadership.