Our job is to help make it easy for those in our lives to be obedient to Christ.
That is true in the work place, in our male/female relationships, with friends, and more. If something we are doing causes them to have to struggle with temptation of any kind in any expression, then we are not walking in love.
- If at work we talk about others and it causes slander, and invites others into that conversation, it is not love
- If in our male/female relationships we do or say things that cause people to have emotional interest or physical desires that cannot righteously be fulfilled, it is not love
- If with our friends we are doing things that cause them to go against their conscience and are not comfortable doing, it is not love.
Loving people means making it easy for them to be obedient to obey Christ.
Sometimes love even means we distance or remove ourselves, if it is righteous to do so, because we recognize that maybe our presence in their lives hinders their walk with Christ. The flip side is also true.
We may need to distance ourselves from others that make it difficult for us to obey Christ. It doesn’t mean we remove sinners from our lives. It just means we recognize our weak areas and where we need to exercise caution.
The bottom line is this: As far as it depends on you, make it easy for those in your life to be obedient to Christ.