Taste Preference

No one goes to a restaurant and is told by the waiter what they absolutely must eat. Instead, the waiter brings a menu stocked with choices. The waiter allows the customers to choose what they want based on their taste preferences.

When a waiter hands you a menu, by default, he is telling you that you can't make a wrong decision. All decisions are considered right! There is liberty, based on taste preferences.

If a waiter tried to force everyone to order what he wanted, and to like only what he said was to be liked, he would be fired!

In church-life, forcing personal preferences on another is an abuse of authority. It reveals weakness in character. It shuts down another persons' humanity, and we miss the beauty of seeing God work through another believers' life.

For example: in Romans 12:8, the Bible says:

"he that ruleth, with diligence".

The absolute standard that God gives is that ruling must be done diligently. So, if 3 different men chose to rule in 3 different ways, they can ALL be right.

The only time any of those men would be wrong, would be if they were not ruling diligently or well.

WHY?
Because the absolute standard God requires is that one must rule diligently (Romans 12:8) and well (1 Tim 5:17).

Within the bounds of God's absolute standard, there are choices that can be made based on personal experience, preference, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

May God help us be ok with that.