“‘I’ [God] shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time.” (Proverbs 2:9, TLB)
Like I mentioned yesterday, three philosophies — individualism, secularism, and relativism — have devastated our society’s moral thermometer over the past few decades. The consequences have been dramatic on society in general and on each of us individually.
So what do we do about it? You have to start with God. He embodies truth. What is right and wrong gets its meaning in the character of God himself. Dishonesty is wrong because God is honest. Unfaithfulness is wrong because God is faithful. You can know the truth by looking at how God interacts with us.
The Bible says, “[God] shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time” (Proverbs 2:9, TLB). We can know the character of God through his Word. The Bible tells us what’s true, whether or not we like what it says. Once we encounter the truth, God’s truth, we’ll recognize two key features of it every time we see it.
- It’s universal. It applies to everyone. If it doesn’t apply to everyone, it’s not truth. It’s an opinion.
- It’s unchanging. It won’t be moved by fads or fashions. Adultery was wrong 2,000 years ago, it’s wrong today, and it will be wrong 4,000 years from today.
The choice is yours. A few years back Newsweek summarized this question on the cover of their magazine. They asked, “Whose justice? Whose morality? Whose community? Whose family? Whose values?”
That’s your choice each and every day. Our world today gives us three options for how to discover truth: We can choose to base our morality on what we think, on what other people think, or on what God thinks. We really have no other options.
Our choice will dictate how we live, how we love, and, someday, how we die. But it’s our choice. What will you choose?
Meditate:
- How has our culture tried to convince us that truth changes?
- Why do you have to make the choice every day to base your morals on God’s truth?
- What do you need to do to better understand God’s character through his Word, the Bible?
Prayer
Lord, guide me with your unchanging and faithful truth, and let me reflect that truth to everyone around me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
