Skittles Smugglers

This evening during our lesson at church, a discussion arose over a rather innocuous activity and its moral/legal status. The activity in question is carrying drinks, snacks, and the like into places like movie theaters and sporting events that post rules against doing so.

Some were strongly in favor of the practice, for mostly practical reasons - cost concerns being the primary motivator. Others argued just as adamantly against on the principle that the 'offender' was violating the rules of the establishment. The discussion got pretty lively. There was even argument about the distinction between rules and laws.

Ultimately, in the interest of continuing the lesson, an agreement to disagree had to be reached. As Christians, we are definitely beholden to follow the laws of man, except where they stand in opposition to the Law of God. On the other hand, as the redeemed children of God, we have been given freedom in Christ, and that includes the freedom not to toe the line of every rule all of the time.

I'm not going to get into that freedom any deeper - I would be here all night. However...

After service was over and I came home, I was given a different perspective on the question while folding my laundry. Ultimately, everything comes down to our purpose for being here. As a child of God, and a follower of his Word and his Son, we need to embrace our purpose for being on earth, which is to increase His Glory in all that we do. As such, everything we do, every choice we make, every word spoken to another should be filtered against that purpose. Is this action going to increase or distract from His glory?

Lord knows that I am terrible about this. I fall so short of that ideal that it sometimes seems that the bar that is set by this standard is 500 feet high. But as I continue along my walk, I pray that God will continue to keep that bar within my sight, and help me not only to want to reach for that bar, but to maybe even achieve it some day.