On Doing the Right Thing

Sunday afternoon, August 10, 2008 [ONLY 88 degrees!],
Yes, I am aware that the use of the words "always" and "never" is "always" hazardous and, therefore, "never" without risk; however, I chose to take the risk and use "always" in my message this morning. This is what I said: There are some things that (in my opinion) are ALWAYS the right things to do. As soon as I uttered the words, I could see the facial expressions of some of my congregants change; in other words, at least for the moment I had their attention.
I went on to say that doing the "right" thing has nothing to do with following some list of rules because rules do not fit every situation; instead, doing the "right" thing has to do with following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. What that means is this: In the same situation, He could very well lead you to do one thing and me another, and both of us be doing the "right" thing. For example, He could very well lead you to give to some charity and lead me not to give to it and both of us be doing the "right" thing because we would be following His leading.
Enough. These are the things that I said are always the "right" things to do:
1. It is always "right" to be selfless, so much so that you regard others as being more important than yourself.
2. It is always "right" to abstain from judging—always.
3. It is always "right" to abstain from tale bearing and gossip, even not to associate with those who do.
4. It is always "right" to forgive others, even yourself, and to do so quickly.
5. It is always "right," when you do not know what is the right thing to do, to be still, to cease striving to know, and to watch and wait until the Holy Spirit shows you the "right" thing to do.
In my opinion, if each of us could begin to practice these things, not as a legalistic means to an end, but out of our love for the One who imputed His righteousness to us, life would be much improved, especially the relationship part of it!