The Right Thing
"...Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right." Ecclesiastes 8:5b
I knew what I needed to do. My nagging conscience and the constant turmoil in my heart was simply not going to go away until I made things right. The man in the gas station had taken a look out the window with his binoculars to look at the pump that I had just finished using and told me it said, "such and such." I gave him the money, got in my car and pulled away. Curious, due to the oddity of the experience, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the pump said, "such and such .05". Yikes, I thought. He missed the nickel. Running a little bit late already, I kept on going. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get that 5 cents out of my head. It stalked me like the beating heart in Edgar Allan Poe's story. Needless to say, the guy working at the gas station when I returned to slap that nickel down on the counter was more than a little bewildered.
In our verse for the day, we are challenged to move beyond the self-manufactured gray areas of life and simply do the right thing. It's rarely easy. He tells us that we must find time. We're never too busy to do what is right. He also tells us that we must find a way. Obstacles are rarely anything other than excuses. On our leadership team, we have a working vision for our decision making: "Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons." If, in our discussions, there is any restlessness in any of these three areas, we simply wait until there is clarity and unity. We haven't been perfect, but the principles have produced a pattern of positive results.
I have been absolutely floored by the many rationalizations that I have used and that others have used to attempt to justify what we know full well is not the right thing. God both knows us and loves us. Rather remarkable really. His principles, commands, and instructions are all rooted in his love. When the full weight of the right thing feels too heavy, just remember, it is the wise that will choose to trust in God's love and follow his lead.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
I knew what I needed to do. My nagging conscience and the constant turmoil in my heart was simply not going to go away until I made things right. The man in the gas station had taken a look out the window with his binoculars to look at the pump that I had just finished using and told me it said, "such and such." I gave him the money, got in my car and pulled away. Curious, due to the oddity of the experience, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the pump said, "such and such .05". Yikes, I thought. He missed the nickel. Running a little bit late already, I kept on going. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get that 5 cents out of my head. It stalked me like the beating heart in Edgar Allan Poe's story. Needless to say, the guy working at the gas station when I returned to slap that nickel down on the counter was more than a little bewildered.
In our verse for the day, we are challenged to move beyond the self-manufactured gray areas of life and simply do the right thing. It's rarely easy. He tells us that we must find time. We're never too busy to do what is right. He also tells us that we must find a way. Obstacles are rarely anything other than excuses. On our leadership team, we have a working vision for our decision making: "Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons." If, in our discussions, there is any restlessness in any of these three areas, we simply wait until there is clarity and unity. We haven't been perfect, but the principles have produced a pattern of positive results.
I have been absolutely floored by the many rationalizations that I have used and that others have used to attempt to justify what we know full well is not the right thing. God both knows us and loves us. Rather remarkable really. His principles, commands, and instructions are all rooted in his love. When the full weight of the right thing feels too heavy, just remember, it is the wise that will choose to trust in God's love and follow his lead.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
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