The right thing
2020-03-12Proverbs 23:23 NCV
When everything in our lives is going well, it’s easy to stay on the right path and do what we believe to be the right thing. However, we can easily be swayed by circumstances, people, and our own desires, to do the wrong thing. When we’re tempted or pressured, we can end up doing the very thing we said we’d definitely never do. Instead of doing what’s right, we go the opposite way. It’s not easy to stand up for the truth when everyone else is going a different way. But God wants us to go the right way. The Bible says: ‘Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding.’ We should aim to ‘never reject’ the right way. With God’s strength, we can be set apart for Him. In the Bible, we read about three men who stood up for the right thing, even when no one else did and even when there would be serious consequences for doing so. These men were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When King Nebuchadnezzar called everyone to bow down and worship him each time the music played, these three men refused to do it because they knew it was right to only worship God. Their punishment was to be thrown into a fire, but they still refused to compromise. They said: ‘Even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up’ (Daniel 3:18 NCV). God was in the fire with them, and they walked out unharmed (you can read the whole story in Daniel 3). God honours us when we decide to stand up for what’s right. Let’s be people who go the right way, no matter what.