that ain't right

We are often very aware of what is right and wrong. We teach it to children and tell them to choose the right things. We expect good and right and condemn the wrong very often. In our society, we hear many people talking about how someone did something and they  may say, "That ain't right!"  We are quick to see how someone fails and identify the wrongs and the rights. Our political arena is full of people pointing fingers and calling each other out over perceived wrongs. As the story continues, we often find that same wrong coming back to haunt the accuser as well. 

I am no longer surprised by the next scandal or the next accusation. Politics in America, and the world, has become a rather sad display of accusations, backbiting, and lack of morality. This isn't about being progressive, conservative, or anywhere in between. This is about what we truly need to understand.  We need to realize that we all have a choice to make about right and wrong. We all have a responsibility to live by what is right. The truth about right and wrong starts with the little choices so we can make the big choices later. We must do our best to choose good based on  the truth of God's word . We will be held to that standard in the end . 

My son was telling about a little situation at school and I responded by explaining that doing that particular action would be stealing. He replied, "but everyone does it, and the teachers said to."  My husband simply replied, but it is still wrong and we don't do wrong just because others do it or say to do it. We choose to do what it right because God says to do right.

James 4:17 says "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is a sin." We are given plenty of direction and explanation in the Bible about what is right and what is wrong. We are given a clear understanding of what is sin and what is not. We are then given the opportunity to apply this truth to our lives every single day. We make a choice to do what is good or to sin. Simply put, you choose to sin even when you know what is right. 

There are people out there saying, "You do you." or,  "I choose my truth." There is no truth outside of God. We need to understand that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6). We cannot find real truth outside of obedience to the Word of God. We cannot explain it away, or change it. We cannot ignore it and hope it doesn't really mean what it says. God spoke and it is truth. His Word is truth. He is truth. We can only find good and right in Him. We can only find peace and happiness when we submit to Him and His ways. We can only find true contentment by believing and obeying His word and choosing to follow Him.

Joshua 24:15  And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I have this on my wall of my living room for my family to see and read. I hope we all have this embedded and buried deep in our hearts so it will nourish our faith and help us to everyday choose to serve the Lord through our actions, our thoughts, and our lives. I do pray that my children and my family chooses to do what is good and not allow our sinful nature to continue to rule our hearts and our lives. 

Deuteronomy 30:19I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

We have a choice we make every day and sometimes every moment. We have a choice to choose life and truth or not . I want to choose life. I want to choose blessing. I choose to do what is good. I pray I can make that choice every moment. When I fail, I will choose to run to the Savior and make it right. I want His approval above all else. I want to show my love for Him by how I live my life and the actions I choose. I want my choice to say that Jesus rules my heart and He is my first choice. I want my life to be a reflection of His truth and His love for me. Let us pray that our choices are for good and what is right according to His Word. 

trust through the process

I often bake and I enjoy making things. I like getting to that finished product and seeing what I have accomplished.  It takes a process to get to the end product. I cannot just throw in some flour and say it is a cake. There is a recipe, measuring, mixing, and baking. There is a time of cooling and a time of decorating the cake.  It takes an ordered process and it takes time.
In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 we learn there is a time for every purpose under heaven.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1‭-‬8 KJV

There is a time for going through a process. A process means there is change and growth. Growth means we are in a process.  We don't instantly become adults.  We go through a process.  Living in this life should mean we are growing.  We may be fully grown adults, but we should still be in a growth process, maybe not physically any more, but spiritually, emotionally, and in maturity.

When I cook or bake, there is a process. When something is being built , there is a process. We are also in a process.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5 KJV

This life has good times and bad times.  We go through times of struggles and times of victories. Each of these are part of a process that God is using to bring us closer to Him. He wants to use these opportunities to change us, mold us,  and make us more like Him. God asks us to trust Him as we go through these processes.  We may feel like we are being mixed up or even put through a fire.  We may see a lot of things that want to capture and hold our attention to get us to take our eyes off of God. We may become distracted, overwhelmed and maybe even lost in the many things of living in this world.  But God says to keep our eyes on Him and our faith firmly placed in God. He has our best interests in mind and He knows where we have been,  where we are, and where we need to go. We are going through a process. He may even be taking us through a process to increase His will in our lives. We may not see the recipe or even know where we will end up. God does. He is the Master and the Potter. He is working on us and taking us through a process of growth and change if we allow Him to do what He has in mind.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 KJV

There is a purpose for our process. There is a purpose for every trial and every victory. There is a God walking with us, leading us, and carrying us through every thing we face in this life. We only need to trust Him through the process. His ultimate goal is to bring us closer to Him every moment so we end up spending eternity around the throne in heaven. He want us to run the race with endurance, fight a good fight,  finish the course, and keep the faith. I Timothy 4:7.

Each part of the process is our opportunity to place our faith in Jesus, to lean on His wisdom, to trust Him completely, and to find strength in the joy of the Lord.