Tag: right and wrong

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Shades of Gray

Daily Reading

Deuteronomy 28-29

Daily Thought

Davy Jones died leap year day, February 29, 2012. When I heard the news, I did what many my age did–listened again to my favorite songs from The Monkees. One of them, “Shades of Gray”:

When the world and I were young, just yesterday,
Life was such a simple game a child could play.
It was easy then to tell right from wrong,
Easy then to tell weak from strong,
When a man should stand and fight, or just go along.

Things were simple and clear when we were young. In Deuteronomy 28, Israel is young, a new nation, pre-teen. The first fourteen verses list the blessings “if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God.” The remaining verses, the curses “if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God.” Black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. 

But today there is no day or night, today there is no dark or light,
Today there is no black or white, only shades of gray. 

50 shades, apparently. As we get older, we begin asking “what if” and “why not.” We begin to color gray, but to God, it is still black and white, because he is forever young. 

I remember when the answers seemed so clear.
We had never lived with doubt or tasted fear.
It was easy then to tell truth from lies,
Selling out or compromise.

“Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16), said Jesus to a gray church.

Daily Prayer

God, thank You for life itself, and for this instruction book, Your Word, which shows me how to live. Thank You, as well, that I may pray to You for wisdom and You promise to give it to me. Help me never to doubt You. I am so glad Your Holy Spirit lives in me and guides me toward Your truth. I live in a world upside down, and I need You to show me what is what.

Father, I know as I trust You more I will trust You more. I know I repeated myself, but that’s how faith works. The more often I have faith, the stronger my faith gets, and the more willing I will be to walk in faith the next time. Strengthen me, God, as I train my mind by putting Your Word into practice. 

Amen

Daily Question

When have you had trouble determining if something was right or wrong, and what did you do about it?

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Truth Is

Daily Reading

Job 32-34

Daily Thought

The sign posted at the University said, “It isn’t wrong to think you’re right, but it isn’t right to think others are wrong.” Sounds so charitable, so fair, nice even.

The ballplayer slides into second, the shortstop tags him, and the umpire calls, “You’re out!” It’s just a game, but try selling that to the team in blue. The call just killed a rally. The call is a travesty against all that is just and good and right in the universe. The blue coach screams, “Are you blind? He missed the tag!” The umpire explains, “I think I got it right. But, hey, I’m not saying you’re wrong, either.”

You can’t get away with something ridiculous like, “I think I’m right, but I don’t think you’re wrong.” Sports do not permit this. Truth and justice do not permit this. And neither does life permit this. Truth is. That’s it. That’s the whole definition. Life has rules. Right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral exist. Every seven-year old can tell you when something is or is not fair. 

Elihu, a young man, waited until his elders and Job were done talking, then he had something to say. Six chapters worth. The core of his argument is the justice of God, “Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice” (Job 34:12).

The Almighty will not pervert justice, and we are rule breakers. We want everyone to be able to do his or her own thing, because we want to do our own thing. We who seek a world where no one is wrong cannot change the rulebook, so we try to rid ourselves the umpire.

When Elihu stops talking (3 more chapters), we will hear from the umpire. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said…” (Job 38:1). God has the final word and he always will.

Daily Prayer

Sovereign God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Your ways are good, right, and just. They are also loving. You are, at the same time, my Loving Father and my Righteous Judge. Why would I want to live in a world not ruled by righteousness? And yet, I do. 

Your Word seems foreign to this world, because this world would rather rule itself, and the results are not good. I can serve the kingdom of man or the Kingdom of God, but not both. The choice is clear, and I choose to be ruled by righteousness. I will follow You.

Amen