Do the right thing!

When crisis strikes, when disappointment breaks over us like a crashing wave, or when opportunities come to us; we ask - "what do I do now?" The families of 31 students at Virginia Tech, who were shot dead yesterday by a gunman, are surely asking it today. A young man confronted by his wife's desire for a divorce is asking that question today. Young college students coming to graduation in a few weeks time are asking it. "What do I do now?" The answer always begins - "Do the right thing!"

And what is the right thing to do? The baseline response to that question is found in choosing to act in line with what the Word teaches us. The grieving parents of those dead students will be tempted to hate. But they can choose a response of love, and if they will with God's help, they will make choices in the next few days that will lead them to grieve in a way that leads them to restoration rather than destruction. The young man facing divorce can choose revenge or he can choose forgiveness - and God's way will lead him to experience grace that renews his soul in sorrow.

Over and over in my life, when I have found myself at a crossroad or in a crisis, I have found my way by going back to the basics of what Jesus Christ taught -
"Love God wholeheartedly and love others as intensely as you love yourself. Seek to serve, not to be served."

-How do I express love for God today, in this situation?
-What choices are expressions of genuine love for another?
-Am I only serving myself or am I choosing to honor my Lord?

With prayerful thought and by putting my challenges in the context of such fundamental issues, a course of action begins to take shape. Often that course of action is costly and my natural self reacts- "I can't do this!" But, with the Spirit giving me strength- I am able to do the right thing, one day at a time. What I could never imagine doing for my entire life, I can do just for today. We live in culture that teaches us that the 'right thing' is the choice that gratifies us or that alleviates our pain most quickly. It is a culture of expedience that often leads us to believe that the right choice is the one that will bring us the most immediate benefit. Many people are intensely narcissistic and their constant theme is "it's all about me! I'm unhappy. The situation intolerable to me. I want relief now." That way of thinking inevitably leads to poor choices that produce more pain in the long-term.

Joshua was attempting to lead the people of God into the Promised Land. In the forty years that Moses led Israel, they had chosen poorly many times, choosing the path that seemed easier and waking up to find themselves in deeper troubles. Repeatedly they resisted God's leading, grumbled about hardship, and allowed bitterness to skew their thinking. Eventually their self-centeredness caused them to die in the wilderness. After Moses died, Joshua was anointed their leader and he saw the challenges that were presented to him in leading the next generation to do what their parents had refused to do. How could he do it? What was the right thing to do? God came to him and said, "Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take." (Joshua 1:6-9, The Message) Do the right thing!

Years later, after he had led them through a successful campaign to own the land that God promised to Abraham, Joshua was near his own death. He summonsed Israel's leaders and gave them a similar challenge. "So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. . . .. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15, NLT) Do the right thing!

Are you standing at a crossroad in in life?
Are multiple opportunities presenting you with options?
Does a sense of panic threaten to overwhelm you in a crisis?

Take this word from the Word and think it through today, asking for the Spirit's guidance.
"This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is,
and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls. "
(Jeremiah 6:16, NIV)