Dillon Community Church

Day 1: Freedom's Better Question

Devotional

Most of us have asked it at some point: "How far can I go?" It feels like a reasonable question. After all, if something is not forbidden, it must be fine, right? But Paul invites us into a better question. Not "what am I allowed to do?" but "what does love require me to do with the freedom I have?" That shift is not small. It moves us from a legal mindset to a relational one. It stops treating freedom like a boundary to push and starts treating it like a gift to steward. And that changes everything about how we make decisions. We live in a world that celebrates personal rights. But followers of Jesus are called to something different. Our freedom was purchased at a cost, and it was given to us not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others. This week, we are going to explore what it looks like to hold our freedom with open hands, shaped by love rather than self-interest. It is a challenging road, but it is also a deeply freeing one. Because when love guides our choices, we stop carrying the weight of always protecting our rights and start experiencing the joy of genuinely serving others.

Bible Verse

"Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. But knowledge puffs up while love builds up." - 1 Corinthians 8:1

Reflection Question

Where in your life are you asking "what am I allowed to do?" instead of "what does love require of me?"

Quote

"What Paul is trying to get at here is not just what am I free to do? He's not telling you to ask the question, how far can I push the line? What can I get away with? He wants us to ask what does love require me to do with my freedom?"

Prayer

Lord, shift my heart from self-protection to love. Teach me to see my freedom as a gift meant to serve others, not just myself. Amen.

Day 2: Right Answer, Incomplete Picture

Devotional

There is a particular kind of confidence that comes from knowing you are theologically correct. It feels solid. Grounded. And honestly, it can quietly become a problem. The Corinthians had good theology. They knew idols were not real gods. They were right. But Paul gently points out that being right is not the same as being done. Having the correct answer does not automatically mean you have the full picture. Job's friends are a sobering example. They were doctrinally sound. They could articulate truth about God. But they lacked the wisdom to recognize what they did not know, and that gap caused real harm to someone who was already suffering. True knowledge, Paul says, carries humility with it. The person who genuinely understands something also understands how much they still do not know. That is not weakness. That is wisdom. This is an encouragement, not a critique. Growing in knowledge is good and right. But as we grow, let us hold what we know with open hands, staying curious, staying humble, and staying close to the God who knows far more than we ever will.

Bible Verse

"But whoever loves God is known by God." - 1 Corinthians 8:3

Reflection Question

Can you think of a time when being right about something caused you to miss something equally important?

Quote

"Having the right answer is not the same thing as having the whole answer."

Prayer

God, keep me humble in what I know and honest about what I don't. Let my knowledge always lead me closer to You, not further from others. Amen.

Day 3: Knowledge and Love Need Each Other

Devotional

Imagine a body with no skeleton. Just flesh, with nothing to hold it together. It would be shapeless and unable to function. That is what love looks like without knowledge. Warm, but without structure or direction. Now imagine a skeleton with no flesh. Hard, cold, and lifeless. That is what knowledge looks like without love. Correct, but incapable of truly connecting with anyone. Paul is not asking us to choose between the two. He is asking us to hold them together. Knowledge gives love its shape. Love gives knowledge its warmth. And when they work together, something beautiful happens: we become people who are both grounded in truth and genuinely good to be around. The goal is not to know more so we can feel superior. The goal is to know God more deeply so that His love overflows into how we treat the people around us. The more we understand how much He loves us, the more naturally we love others. Studying Scripture, growing in theology, and deepening your understanding of God are all worth pursuing. Just make sure you are seeking Him in the process, not just information about Him. That is where knowledge becomes transforming.

Bible Verse

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name." - Ephesians 3:14-15

Reflection Question

In your own spiritual life, do you tend more toward knowledge without love, or love without knowledge? What might it look like to grow in the other direction?

Quote

"Love without knowledge quickly devolves into mushy sentimentality. A gooey thing like a body without a skeletal structure. Structure, a pile of flesh and blubber, an ugly thing."

Prayer

Father, let my pursuit of truth always be a pursuit of You. Fill my knowledge with Your love so that both grow together in me. Amen.

Day 4: Your Freedom Affects Others

Devotional

Here is a truth that can be uncomfortable: the choices you make with your freedom do not only affect you. Paul makes this point with striking clarity. When a believer exercises their freedom in a way that causes a weaker brother or sister to stumble, it is not just an unfortunate outcome. Paul calls it a sin against Christ Himself, because Christ lives in them. That is a serious statement. And it is meant to be. Because the church is not a collection of individuals doing their own thing in the same building. It is a body, deeply connected, where the choices of one member ripple out to others. This does not mean we live in fear of every decision. It means we live with awareness. We ask not only "is this okay for me?" but "how might this affect someone else who is watching, following, or struggling?" That kind of awareness is actually a gift. It pulls us out of self-absorption and into genuine community. It reminds us that we belong to one another, and that belonging comes with a beautiful responsibility to care for each other well.

Bible Verse

"When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ." - 1 Corinthians 8:12

Reflection Question

Is there a freedom you currently exercise without much thought about how it might affect the people around you in your faith community?

Quote

"When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ."

Prayer

Jesus, make me aware of how my choices touch the lives of others. Give me a heart that genuinely cares about the spiritual wellbeing of those around me. Amen.

Day 5: Laying It Down

Devotional

Paul ends his argument with a personal declaration that is almost shocking in its simplicity: if eating meat causes another believer to stumble, he will never eat meat again. Full stop. No negotiation. No "but it is my right." Just a clear, love-driven choice to lay something down for the sake of someone else. In a culture that treats personal freedom as nearly sacred, this sounds extreme. But this is exactly what it looks like to live as the church. Not a group of individuals protecting their rights, but a community of people who love each other enough to make sacrifices. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it well: when you enter discipleship, you enter alone, but you do not remain alone. The gift is the body. And the body calls us to something more than self-interest. This is not about losing yourself. It is about finding something better than the constant pursuit of your own comfort. When we lay down our freedoms for the sake of others, we reflect the very heart of Jesus, who laid down everything for us. You are not alone in this. And neither is anyone else. That is the beauty of the church done right.

Bible Verse

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage." - Philippians 2:5-6

Reflection Question

Is there a freedom, preference, or right you are holding tightly that love might be asking you to lay down for the sake of someone else?

Quote

"In a culture that celebrates our rights and our freedoms, we go, nope. But in the church, we do things different. This is what it looks like to be salt and light. We lay down our freedoms for the sake of another."

Prayer

Lord, give me the courage to lay down what I am entitled to when love calls me to. Make me more like Jesus, who gave up everything for others. Amen.

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*Devotionals written from sermon given by Pastor Ryan Leeds and compiled using Sermon Shots.