“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV, 10-19-13)

A question pastors are asked a lot (and a questions pastors sometimes ask themselves as well), “Is it okay for me to…?”

Some people use guilt as the guide, which is as faulty as our sense of guilt. (Sometimes parents, friends, and pastors train us to feel guilty about things that are not wrong.) Sometimes we worry too much about what others will think. Sometimes we worry too little about what others will think.

While it is no doubt not the only guide, this verse presents a good test. Will it master me? If the Bible isn’t clear on something, it’s still probably a bad idea if it may well end up being my master instead of whatever reason I want to do it.

And it’s also a good question to ask about things I’m already doing. Am I using it (or enjoying it), or is it mastering me?

[Father, show me anything in my life that is mastering me.]