important

i hope to take this up again later today, but just now, i read 1 corinthians 10:31, and was reminded of something.

naturally, as i read, my eyes have been trained to read an appointed, recommended verse, and then sift through the verses around it - starting before and after a paragraph, if it is one. and it usually is. :) most of us know this verse:

"so, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

i came here because John Piper suggested his catch phrase - one i heartily adhere to as a genuine truth. he said, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." yes. yes, and satisfaction comes from steeping your heart in Scripture, and being obedient, among other things.

as my eyes trickled upward, i spotted, "'all things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'all things are lawful,' but not all things build up. let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor."

last night, i bemoaned my two-facedness to joel. i have not always sought the good of my neighbor. i have not avoided things i know that cause others to stumble. i have not always spoken well, and my tongue has proven to be more than poisonous, more than deadly. hacked people to pieces, i have. with cynicism. and skepticism. and judgment.

i want my words to be helpful. i want them to build up - whoever i am talking to or about. i want to keep my tongue from causing others to stumble. i want to seek the good of my neighbor. i want to be obedient in this way, so that i can glorify God and be satisfied in Him.

seeking to glorify myself has left me woefully unsatisfied.