1 Corinthians 6:12

1 Corinthians 6:12 - “Everything is permissible for me” - but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me” - but I will not be mastered by anything.

Paul says, “Everything is permissible for me.” He tells us that he can do anything, but then he continues, “But not everything is beneficial,” and again, “I will not be mastered by anything.” He is telling us that just because he can do whatever he wants he will not.
Paul had a mission; he had goals that he set for his life. If there was something that he wanted to do that would hinder the progress of those goals he would not do it. We need to adopt this way of thinking as well. There are many things in life that want to steal our time and we need to be careful.
Take television for instance. How many hours did you spend in front of the T.V. last week? We often use the excuse of time as a reason that we can’t do the things that we need to do, yet we find the time to watch our favorite shows. I’m not saying that watching television is bad. I thoroughly enjoy watching movies and there are a few shows that I like to stay caught up on as well, but we need a balance.
We need to prioritize. If we spend too much time on wasteful habits we will not have any time to give to the things and people that really matter in life. This is the message that I think Paul is trying to portray.

It’s not bad to do certain things, but is it working towards your goals? If you need to work on improving your marriage is it going to help to zone out in front of the T.V from the time you get home until you go to bed? No, of course not! Then why do we do it? I’ll give you two reasons. One, because we are lazy, and two, because we don’t want to face the hard issues in life.

Television is just one example that I think many of us can relate to, but your time waster could be something entirely different. Whatever it is, these things hinder your progress. The bottom line is that you need to take a look at what you want to accomplish; clearly lay out your goals and go after them. When you have your goals clearly defined it will be easier to avoid the time wasters.