But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.Let not then your good be evil spoken of: (Romans 14:15-16)
Churches were dividing during Paul's ministry because of disagreements about food and personal beliefs. In response, Paul wrote to the Roman church about not allowing our actions or our personal beliefs to hurt another believer. His desire was for all the believers to walk in love with one another.
This wasn’t just about eating in front of other people. Paul was dealing with the issue of navigating around our differences within our churches. The world screams about personal rights and freedoms, but Scripture tells us that our good should not lead someone to speak evil against us. In other words, our freedom in Christ should never be used as a stumbling block for someone else.
When we live with this mindset, we can know we are really serving Jesus, as we prefer other people above our personal convictions and preferences. It is not a bad thing to have your own revelation and conviction from your time in the Word and your time with the Holy Ghost. But your personal revelation should never bring condemnation, division, envy, or separation in the body of Christ.
Practical Application
When you are accomplishing the tasks at hand today, ask the Lord, “How can I serve you through serving others today?” Have the mindset of a servant of God, and not of selfishness or of a self-absorbed person. Serve others with joy.