Page 80 To the Strong in Conscience. Exercise your freedom, but do not flaunt it. Neither evangelize or parade it in front of others. Do not criticize or act condescending toward the weak in conscience. Do not call them ,legalistic or look down on them as being less spiritual or inferior in light than you. Enjoy your freedom. Don’t be paranoid about phantom weak-conscience believers who may be lurking around you without your knowledge. If a weaker believer identifies himself or you are aware that such a person is present, then exercise restraint on your freedom lest you make him stumble. Do not try to persuade him to have a stronger conscience either. Love thinks no evil. Believe that the weak in conscience is abstaining ,unto the Lord. The responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the relationship between weak and strong falls on you who are strong. ,We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves (Rom. 15:1). For this is the way of Jesus Christ. As Martin Luther once put it, ,A Christian man is a most free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian man is a most dutiful servant of all, subject to all. To the Legalist. Follow your own standards of conduct. Take heed to your own conscience. But do not force your standards onto others. Do not lobby or politic for them. Do not judge your weaker brethren. Do not criticize them. Do not try to persuade them to your view. Guard against a Pharisaical spirit which puts undue pressure on
God made us to be in relationship with others, but your most important relationship is with Him. In human relationships you get a taste of the happiness, meaning, and fulfillment that ultimately are only to be found, in their fullest form, in Him. So don't let yourself be fooled into believing that a romantic relationship will be the most satisfying experience of your life. Instead, thank God for the tastes that you have had that remind you of what His love is like, and ask Him to give you a desire for a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. Trust Him with your hopes for a relationship and ask for His wisdom and guidance when you enter into one. Most of all, ask Him to fill you with His Spirit so you can continue growing in your ability to love others (William Smith).
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