Shared Responsibility: Do Not Be A Stumble Block

During my advanced military training way back on my university days, we were thought of the very common principle “Obey first, before you complain.” This discipline has embedded to me and I allow myself to submit to any person that has authority over me, most especially to our God. In the same way, I am sharing the same principle to others if there are opportunities and with shared responsibility.

Before, my idea of being obedient to this principle is simply following any orders given by my superior. And when it came a time for me to impart this to others, I feel the burden while sharing it to them. I have learnt that there is hidden joint responsibility to it which is to be a role model to my subordinates. The moment I told them about the value of full obedience without any hesitations, then the burden of bearing the influential authority and its responsibility felt heavier. Thereafter, everything I am about to say, to act, and to think must be carefully presented to avoid them copying anything that is wrong both to them and to the organization.

In the same way to our Christian Community, every believer has responsibility to carefully examine their ways in dealing with people of different beliefs, moreover, to weaker people of the same belief. Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 8:9, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”

Weaker people are mostly new members of our church who are starting to know our God and Jesus but also extended to those who have already been with us for longer time and remains child in their spiritual lives. They believe in God but also they look at us as an authority over their faith. Bearing this right is dangerous as it may lead them to stumble if we committed things which are against God’s authority and influence. Though we have the responsibility to behave well imitating Jesus as the best role model for Christian living, we also need them to understand who they should look up to and that is our dear Lord Jesus only.

We must lead them towards Jesus and focus their eyes only to Him, following His instructions, commandments, and teachings; so that even if we fail to the human standard, we will avoid contributing to their own stumble if there will be any.

God bless everyone!

Comments

Explore The Most Read Post for the past year

Put Our Hope In God, not in uncertainties

(Midweek Devotions, 1 Timothy 6:17-21 - 25 Oct 2023) 1 Timothy 6:17-20 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. Grace be with you all. We are in the final last 5 verses in book of First Timothy, an important pastoral letter which is very helpful for any man of God called to this important vocation. Definitely, this book is by extension equal

Sanctified - A Pleasing Servant of Christ

(Midweek Devotion - 1st Timothy 5:22-25, 13 Sept 2023) 1 Timothy 5:22-25 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) 24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. After we have been reminded of Paul's apostolic instruction to give honour due to our elders, especially those who work in preaching and teaching; Paul is now giving us warnings of the continuing influences of sins to each and every believers. He warn us of three things: (1) do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, (2) taking part in the sins of others, (3) and keeping ourselves pure. Laying on of hands is particularly referring to the ordination of someone to install in the position of lead

Respect - To Serve Them Even Better

(Midweek Devotion, 1st Timothy 6:1-2, 27 Sept 2023) 1st Timothy 6:1-2 1 All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2 Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. One of the great things about the Sacred Scriptures is that, it does not talk about God alone but also talks about His creatures behaviour, particularly human being, more specificallly those who are His people. 1st Timothy 6 gave us an idea of how both one who are UNDER authority and one who are IN authority should behave as bearers of the name of God. The Bible clearly values authority and how important one should submit to an authority over him. The Bible itself claims authority for Truth, thus, no wonder that th

Paul's Description Of A False Teacher

(Midweek Devotion, 1 Timothy 6:3-5 - 04 Oct 2023) 1 Timothy 6:3-5 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. The bible is quite vocal in its warning against (1) a false prophet or false teachers, and (2) a false teaching or false doctrine. Jesus’ ministry had repeatedly criticise the Jewish religious leaders in their time and keep on correcting them in many occasions or warning the crowds or the Jewish people who follow their teachings. Paul in this part of his epistle to Timothy is similarly giving some warning to his child in faith and dealing with the spre

Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain

(Midweek Devotion, 1 Timothy 6:6-10) 1 Timothy 6:6-10 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. One of today’s common deception in modern Christianity movement is the use of the Gospel as a solution to life of prosperity. Though the Bible have shown us many great examples of people of God who received and accumulated great wealth in their obedience to God, that does not mean that we also have to focus of such things in our walk of faith. What does the Bible said about prosperities and how the people of Go

IAFB Australia Incorporated

Search This Blog