WHAT IS RIGHT IN GOD’S EYES?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”
(Matthew 14:31-32)

MEDITATION:
A man was in the back bedroom of his home getting dressed
while his wife was in the living room talking to a friend.
He called out to his wife,
    “Is this shirt clean enough for me to wear?”
Without hesitation, she said, “No.”
He said,
    “How did you know it wasn’t clean enough to wear,
      you didn’t even come back to look?”
She said,
    “If you had to ask, it isn’t clean enough to wear!”

When it comes to the question of whether we should do
something or not, we need to remember: if it’s doubtful,
it’s dirty. Most of us don’t give God the benefit of the
doubt, we just go ahead and do it.

Also, if we find ourselves justifying something we ‘want’ to do,
it is probably wrong in God’s eyes or we wouldn’t be justifying it.

As an example, someone may justify drinking alcohol as long
it is only one glass of wine or one can of beer and he/she is not
drinking to get drunk. But what about the impact it has on
others who see them drinking?

We are to be witnesses for God and if we are doing something
that others think God would not do, then we are causing others
to stumble. We may want to do something and think that it is
not harmful to others, but when we know it is questionable
and someone else could consider it as sinful, then we need
to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to us and avoid it.

We are told in God’s Word to be considerate of the impact our
lives will have on others:
    Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
    Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
    not looking to your own interests but each of you
    to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

    “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who
      believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them
      to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to
      be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

     Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to
    stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through
    whom they come.” (Luke 17:1)

    Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light,
    and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.
    (1 John 2:10)

ACTION:
Are you in doubt about something? Are you justifying something?
If you have even the smallest doubt in your heart that it might be
sin or lead to sin, or cause someone else to stumble, be strong and
choose to say “No”.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, you know the things in my life that
I have been justifying as okay. You also know that when
I am justifying something, it is because it exceeds Your
boundaries for living a life of righteousness. When I decide
that I will do it anyway (even though I know it is a sin in
Your eyes), it creates a gap in my relationship with You.
Forgive me for rationalizing or justifying anything that is
contrary to Your guidelines for living as a follower of Jesus.
Strengthen my resolve to grow closer to You, to say ‘No’ to
the things that are sinful, and to recognize what is right and
wrong in Your eyes. Forgive me for the times I have said ‘No’
to my conscience whenever You have said to me in a whisper,
‘That is wrong, so stop trying to justify it but walk away from
it’. Thank You for loving me in spite of my flaws and failures.
Help me to strive to closer to You and to avoid anything that
is an obstacle to my relationship with You. Teach me to have
better self-control.”

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