Friday, August 14, 2020

FMF: Right

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.... If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it" (Exodus 23:2,5, NIV).
This once wild horse lives with other state rescued
animals (including donkeys). Learn more HERE.


At nearly forty years old I still get confused about what is right and wrong.  That feels silly to write because, of course, I know what most would consider right or wrong.  It's wrong to murder, obviously.  Almost everyone agrees on this; and it's what's known as mala in se, a crime that is wrong in and of itself.  It is universally wrong.

But what God has asked His believers to do is not universally accepted as right behavior.  Exodus 25 challenges some preconceived notions about what is right.  If I see someone who hates me, I must still help them.  It reminds me of Proverbs 25:21-22 which tells me to feed my hungry enemy and, by doing so, I will heap burning coals on his head.  Apparently, God likes that.  That verse always confused me.  Is it revenge generosity?

In part, I get confused about right and wrong because of verses like Romans 12:2.  If God has a good and perfect will for my life, there are a lot of ways I can go wrong.  That scares the perfectionist in me.

I feel a little lost today.  I want to do right, and yet it proves to be harder with each passing day.  I pray that God gives me wisdom as I continue to seek Him in all my decisions.

And I pray I can lift up someone's donkey today.



This post is a prompt from Five Minute Friday and was written in approximately five minutes. For more information, visit fiveminutefriday.com.

16 comments:

  1. I hear you! Sometimes it can be so hard to know what the right thing is. And a lot of times the right thing can be so different than what the world would say the right thing is. But God is so good and if we seek Him with all our hearts He will direct us in the right direction.

    Love,
    Annie FMF #18

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    1. Thank you Annie. I definitely am seeking Him these days. I think I've got some "growing pains" but I trust they are good things.

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  2. I agree, it can be hard to take God's Word and apply it to our situations, especially when they are complicated. But helping others where we can is a good guide.

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  3. I like where you started with this "Do not follow the crowd" and that is part of it to shut out the clamour of worldly wisdom and all the voices around us and to listen for the still small voice - and to know that if our intent is to follow Him, He will not let us go astray!

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  4. Amie, what if God's good and perfect will is not a single destination but a growing relationship with Him? When you make choices thoughtfully and prayerfully, He blesses them. When you make choices on your own that bring unwanted consequences, He's still right there helping you move forward. It's not like you had one chance and missed it—and the rest of your life is useless. If that were the case, we'd all be wasting our time, because no one is capable of making only right choices. We're all sinful creatures loved by our Creator. Don't let fear paralyze you (says this still-transforming perfectionist!). Sharon's advice above is sound. Your (and my) purpose on this earth is to love God, seeking His wisdom and not the world's. He will not lead you astray!

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    1. Thank you for your words of encouragement, Susan. I agree that loving God is our primary purpose, it's just all those other decisions that trip me up. =)

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  5. Doing right thing is definitely getting harder and more of a challenge each day! We keep pressing on...and leaning into Christ!

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  6. I worked for many years as a private military contractor, and saw my share of enemies...some completely recalcitrant, some enemies by circumstance.

    There were, occasionally, opportunities to help them when they were wounded, and in that I saw the 'coals of fire' as the remorse that was evident in their eyes, that they had taken a Maoist (in that part of the world) or completely criminal road...and yet, were still deemed worthy of aid. It wa a paradigm shift that could not be traversed without difficulty...without 'coals of fire'.

    Other situations demanded a different, and more severe version of grace. These were much more common.

    Was it right? God knows; certainly many were 'true believers', but their belief allowed (and indeed encouraged) the slaughter of innocents 'pour l'encouragement les autres'; they were stopped, extrajudicially, by whatever means were needed, and the question of right and wrong had to be settled in the heart of each contractor, individually; the price for neglect of this basic requirement was madness, and I saw that happen.

    In the en, there were children who lived to grow up, and who had parents, because we were there. That's enough to have made it all worthwhile. If God judges differently, I'll take what's coming like a man (does anyone still say that?).

    By the way, I could recognize you in your FMF thumbnail, even with the mask. Perhaps the eyes are indeed the window of the soul, and your soul is both bright and distinct. (I've never worn a COVID mask; I'm far too ill to leave the house now; cancer's favour, yes?)

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    1. I think you hit the nail on the head with this statement: God knows. We usually don't know the final outcome of most of our decisions, though we may see the immediate results. I have to put that into God's hands.

      As for the picture, I figured it was time to update! The mask seemed fitting, and I can't wait for the day it no longer does.

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  7. Ditto Susan Nowell. She put whatI was thinking into words much better than I could have.

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  8. Some really good thoughts here (in the post and in the comments). We are all learning and growing as we go, and I believe our willingness to do that pleases God. He gives new mercies daily, and we must learn to walk in them... daily

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    1. I love these kind of comments. I pray I never stop growing in Him.

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