“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.”

“Because I can”, says the boastful.

“Because I can’t”, says the realist.

“Because, I won’t”, says the disciplined.

Which are we in our work?  I’ve found that those who do, because they can, come to rue their actions and decisions.  Those that say they can’t, know more about themselves.  Those who say, I won’t, are the ones who best use their resources, time and energy.  To know what I won’t do means I know what I can and can’t and I have decided. Only knowing what I can do and then doing it is what gets us in trouble.

Paul goes further as he teaches on morality.  He lets us know that by doing what we can, without self-discipline, we can end up being beholden to those actions and ways until they control us. Let’s consider today that in how we act, treat others, and work that just because we can is probably why we shouldn’t.

Reference: 1 Corinthians 6:12 (New Living Translation)