The word principle is defined as, an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct. Preference is defined through the root word 'prefer' as, to set or hold before or above other persons or things in estimation; to like better; to choose rather than. As I ate my banana and toast Sunday morning, I listened in on Charles Stanley's sermon before going to church. It was a very cut and clear message that I think we can all apply in our lives.
Today, I spent some time thinking about principle vs. preference. I came upon this verse in 1 John: (2:6) Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. To break down the definition of principle, we discover that we conduct ourselves, with our actions and words, by the professed rules that we have accepted as Christians. When I accepted Christ as the supreme ruler of my life, I accepted the rules or standards that came with it. I cannot pick and choose which sins are okay and permissible. However, my sinful nature introduced me to this ugly thing called preference when I was a 8 pound baby. Preference tempts me and lures me to accept the sins of this world. It also tempts me to give in to the time killers that keep me from growing closer to God and not doing His work. In short, principle is mode of conduct that I know will ultimately honor and lift up God. Preference is something that will benefit me, please me, or make me feel good.
So we have a matchup between Principle and Preference. From what I can recall from the televised sermon, the example given from the Word was the instance in which Daniel had the opportunity to eat non-kosher foods with higher-ups, but he asked if he could only eat vegetables and drink only water. He stuck to his guns and lived by the principles that God had intended for him to follow. If he had lived by preference and ate whatever was in sight and drank all the alcohol he desired, he physically would look like the other men, and most importantly, he would be spiritually on the same level. Instead, he became spiritually stronger and maintained a healthy life as well.
A huge example I find with this topic is sexual activity before marriage and outside of marriage. In my line of work, I hear countless stories of teenage pregnancies and teenage sex with multiple partners. When I was in high school and college, I had temptations. I cannot and will not deny that, but the fact is, commitment to remain pure until marriage is a very rare thing today. This is a matter of preference and principle. The same is true with adults within a marriage. To have an affair outside of the marriage covenant that God has created is preference. To sustain and resist that temptation is an act of principle. My prayer is that I will become a stronger Christian, living by the principles in the word of God. I also pray that younger generations will understand this and make a 180...
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