thinking of others

As a young man and as a youth pastor I was able to get away with a lot. My walk with the Lord has always been pretty strong so that I could resist temptation without too much problem. I played sports in highschool and I many times ended up hanging out with people with lesser morals than myself. I would run into people after a game, or at a restaurant and get invited to go hang out somewhere with them. I would go, most times there would end up being some form of drinking or fighting going on so I would slowly make my exit when those things started happening.
Well, I had a few really close friends who couldn't be around it at all, because if they were they would join in. Then the following day I would hear the complaints and the guilt of them knowing they made some bad choices. So, I took 1 Corinthians 8:9 to heart and made sure that I kept my closest friends away from those situations. I could go to a party full of beer, cussing, fighting and such and be just fine. My friends on the other hand would fight it but eventually succomb to the pressures and temptations. For me it's the same way with movies, I can watch a movie that may have some inappopriate language or actions in it and be okay(not condoning watching them, I know I shouldn't many times) but I know for a fact that my children cannot. So I watch out for them, I can't just understand that I can handle it and automatically expect others to be able to handle it so I watch myself carefully.
1 Corinthians 8:9 -13 Be cerful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to teh weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols. So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
You see Paul was free from the things that they believed in that time, he was free to go into places where temptation ran rampant and he survived it well. He knew there were many who may not be so fortunate so he was careful of their weaknesses. So be mindful of those around you who either are not beleivers or are weaker than yourself, don't do anything that may cause them to stumble.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!