liberty and love

1 Corinthians 8:9,12 & 13
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights (liberties) does not become a stumbling block to the weak....
¹² When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

Paul was dealing with a Corinthian church debating the legality of eating meat sacrificed to idols. For Paul, it was not a matter of law but of love (1 Cor. 8:1). Christ's death freed us from the law and provided us liberty to enjoy everything that God has made and declared good (1 Cor. 6:12).
This liberty however is a tricky thing. At times, our liberty in eating meat, drinking, smoking, enjoying certain activities, using certain language, etc... can cause another to stumble in their faith and fall away from Christ. In this matter, while our actions may not be sinful in and of themselves, their consequences are destructive and thus qualify as sin.
We cannot take our liberty as a right. Though we are free to eat, we have no right to eat that which wounds the conscience or spirit of another believer. In this regard, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ (Lk 9:23). This mean to deny not only our sinful nature, but also our liberties. We crucify our rights (as Christ did His and all things associated with His divinity) and sacrifice our liberties for the sake of those we desire to save. This is what it means to be crucified with Christ and to no longer live, but to have Christ live through us (Gal. 2:20). When we are baptized, we are baptized into His death, not just his resurrection and life (Rom. 6:3). We are choosing to die to our selves and allow the sacrificial life of Christ to live through us.
So, if I have love for my brother or at least love for Christ, I will set my liberties aside, refuse to view them as rights and I will never eat meat again.

What liberties have I taken as rights? What liberties have I allowed to master me? What liberties have I allowed to would a brother or sister whom Christ died for? How can I die to myself today in order to allow Christ to live through me?

Jesus, give me the strength today to crucify my liberties and the humility to let You live through me. Amen.

Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Romans 6:3
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?