Last week I mentioned the “non-negotiables”—things that are directly connected to our salvation. We aren’t to get so hung up on preferences unrelated to salvation that it creates rifts within the body of believers. But there is another side to this issue. If a fellow believer struggles with one of the lesser things, such as drinking wine, then as an act of love, we shouldn’t drink wine in front of them. If whatever we do will cause that individual to question faith, then out of love for that brother, we take the noble road and abstain. We have a responsibility toward our Christian brothers and sisters to not “trip them up” in their faith. It’s a part of being unselfish. Even if we don’t see the harm, we choose to put the other person’s need above our own. This is the noble thing, and it’s a way to emulate our Savior, who always put others’ need above His own.
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