Moral Development

 

"How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9 

Temptation slow-danced before him. She was beautiful, willing, and the boss would never know. Although this scenario is not unusual, Joseph’s response was. He did not hang around to weigh the odds of being caught or try to reason with teenage hormones. He saw this situation for what it was---sin against God. And because his commitment to God was greater than his commitment to himself, he got up and ran. His decision was not made in that moment of temptation. Only fools rely on willpower to come through at the last minute. No, Joseph’s decision was made the day he began to live as a friend of God.  

 We make decisions according to our level of moral development. We start out learning to do right based upon the promise of rewards or punishments. As we age, we are motivated by popular opinion or even our own moral code. But God designed us to live by a higher standard. The Bible calls it the “law of liberty” (Jms. 2:12). People at this level can be called “friends of God,” because they see life as an opportunity to advance God’s purposes, rather than their own. They can be trusted to do right even when no one knows, because their motivation is to please God. Because Joseph’s desire was to please God, he could resist temptation when most would have crumbled. Friends of God have already decided that sin is not worth it. They get up and run.

What is your motivation for making the choices you make? At what level of moral development are you living?

The Vote is In

 The election's over. Thank goodness!

Many are rejoicing; many are depressed.

We've come to the days when the issues are no longer murky. They are no longer political. In past eras, the debates were focused on taxes, roads and bridges, and how many tanks to supply the military.

But no more. Since the early '80's, the weight of public concern has shifted from the external to the internal. From economic to moral. From right to wrong.

Most Bible-reading Christians were disheartened when Obama won again. He represents everything Christianity rejects, and vice versa. How could God let this happen? Doesn't he care about America?

As I was praying for the election last Saturday evening, I cried out to the Lord, "How can professing Christians vote for that man? Don't they hear him? Don't they see? Otherwise right-thinking people seem blind to the fact that this man supports everything that You hate. He exalts sodomy, destroys pre-born children, and has thrown your nation Israel under the bus. What's going on, God?"

A scripture blazed into my mind and hung there, dangled before my mind's eye like a flashing marquee. It is found in Judges 14:4. Samson had demanded that his parents get a Philistine woman for his bride. They were horrified! No self-respecting, God-honoring Jew would marry a Philistine. Those people were evil! God''s enemies. What was their son thinking?

Then the Bible says, "However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines."

This vile, reprehensible act that came from Samson's own lust was actually approved by God! Not for the reasons Samson believed, but for reasons in God's own heart.

God uses our bad choices to accomplish what he wants to accomplish. Often, it is judgement. We got the President we deserve. And God will use it to accomplish what must be done in this rebellious nation. 

I knew Saturday night who would win this election, but it was with a heavy resigned heart that I heard it officially announced. I don't welcome the destruction that we are headed toward, but I know that ultimately God is in control and His purposes will be accomplished. 

I trust him. He is good and He knows who His children are. He won't forget us. And it will be alright.

.

The World's Bait-And-Switch

They sat stiffly, eyes never meeting, pain etched on tear-stained faces. Disillusionment. Confusion. Despair.

Never married, but sharing a toddler they both loved. Moving in and out of each other's lives. Affairs on the side. Lashing out. Getting even. Sexting others. Lying.

They were the poster children of this generation.

"You can make your own rules," they are told from infancy on. Their instructors are the public education system, Hollywood, and People magazine. And they learn quickly, putting it all into practice the moment puberty hits.

By 21 they are used up, strung out, and angry.

Why didn't it work? I did everything I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. And now here we sit, our lives already mapped out for us by our own choices and it looks nothing like the movies.

There is a stoplight--several, actually--that I really don't like. It is slow to turn green and placed in an aggravating intersection that I would rather zip through. According to the current philosophy, I should be able to make my own rules. If I don't like that light, I shouldn't have to adhere to it. You can't tell me what is right for me. I won't hit anybody. Probably.

There is also a Posted: Keep Out sign on my road, a few feet from a drop-off. But what if I decided that sign was a bit to moralistic for me and I should decide for myself whether or not to keep driving?

We all instinctively understand physical laws and why they are important--regardless of whether we like or agree with them. But when it comes to morality, we stiffen up. God's laws are viewed as stuffy and old-fashioned, designed to force us into a mold. Common sense and values are thrown out the window. Kids plunge into these boundary-less relationships with no pilot at the wheel. Their brokenness follows them as they raise their illegitimate children-- the ones who truly pay the price. By puberty, those children have learned their lessons well and they continue the cycle.

Take a long look at the couple in the photo above. Are they the picture of unbridled freedom?

The world pulls the old bait-and-switch. It advertises a celebrity life of wanton pleasure and delivers a trailer in the ghetto with unpaid bills. My newest clients are just two of millions who've been duped by the ads.

Thankfully, they each gave their lives to Christ last week. Their problems are not over, but they have each aligned themselves with the only One who knows how to make a mosaic out of shattered hearts.

The warning signs are there and if we heed them, we save ourselves untold heartache. We also develop character--a word quickly becoming obsolete. Patience, respect, self-control, and delayed gratification are worth developing, but in this microwave culture they take too long and deny me what I want in the moment.

America's motto of "Give me what I want right now!" is costing us more than we have. When will we learn?
.