Doing the Right Thing

For Christians, doing the right thing isn't just an occasional moral dilemma, it's a way of life. This is what makes Christianity such a difficult path to follow. You can't just pick and choose when you'll follow the high road or made the tough call - you've got to do the "right" thing every time regardless of the circumstances or the consequences.

Jesus warned His disciples that this type of rigorous spiritual discipline would cause many to give up and turn back to the broader pathway of doing things "my way" instead of the "right way."

For those who choose to tough it out, however, here are a few suggestions:

1. Do what's right biblically

Righteousness is defined by the Scriptures, not by what we feel or think. Jesus said that man lives by God's word (Matthew 4:4), not his own desires. Doing right according to God's word is the right way to do right.

2. Expect opposition

Although doing the right thing gets a lot of lip service, when it actually happens people usually get upset. Right reveals wrong and people don't like to be told they're wrong. The Jews loved Jesus until His righteousness began opposing their sinfulness.

3. Be prepared to pay the price

Understanding and choosing to do the right thing is exhilarating at first but sooner or later there'll be a price to pay. Jesus did the right thing all of His life and look at what the world did to Him.

Of course, in our zeal to do the right thing let's also remember that mistakes are inevitable. It's one thing to want to do right, quite another to always do it. Jesus died on the cross to make up for all the times we don't get it right. If God is willing to forgive us, we should give ourselves a break as well.