Psalm 25:20-21 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD is in you.
Today’s world is full of struggles and finding the thin line between the social norm, as well as your faith, in doing right before God. What is the right thing to do when the situation opens the door to either making things look easy, or taking the door which leads you to doing right. There is a difference, one is temporary and the other is lifelong action. We need a creed or a belief to rest in, to make the decision second nature. Our steps should lead to not just an ideal, but an action based in character--Christ like character.
What’s right is right under God? The problem in answering the question is that many people get caught up in emotions or false justice when it comes to character. We must take decisive action and stand by what God says is true.
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" which is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, or ideology with the power of influence on emotions, behaviors and even morals. If your ethos is of God, stay with it, because it will never fail you. The social norm will go back and forth like the waves of the sea, God’s truth remains fixed confidently in hope, faith, and love. Yet in the world in which we live today, ethos is such a relative term. People say, “Well, that’s fine and good for you, but don’t impose your beliefs on me.” So many have fallen into an era of moral “wishy washiness” that says truth and falsehood are neither absolute. God’s Word will never lead you off course. His word is our example of absolute grace, love, and character. In a world full of sin His word is absolute and is not a “wishy washy” concept, but an example of action.
So, step out in faith and do what is right. Don’t compromise your foundational beliefs to just get a temporary benefit, but do what you know to be right before God and before yourself. In James 4:17 it states, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Your choice -Ethos of God or Wishy Washy social ideology?
Live Life Large 4 Christ!
Pastor Frank
