GOOD CHOICES; HOW WE CAN KNOW THEY ARE GOOD- Heb.5:14

To do what is right we need to first know how that is determined. What makes something the right thing to do?

Is it that it makes someone else feel good? If that were true then Jesus would never have said to the Pharisees that they were a den of vipers. Or that the Jews He was speaking to in John8 were of their father the devil.

So while doing something that makes someone feel good may be the right thing. it is definitely not the criteria we can always use to know what the right thing is.

What about doing what makes us feel good? Is that the measure of doing the right thing? If it was then all our choices would be out of selfish motivation. And where would that leave those around us? Left out and aware that we don’t care about them.

So again, while making ourselves feel good is sometimes the right thing to do. It is not always the right thing because it puts other people’s feelings behind our own.

In the scriptures we are shown what God’s love looks like when we see Jesus sacrificing Himself for our benefit. And God says that not only are we to love our neighbor as ourselves. But, we are also to love our enemies. Praying for them and blessing them even when they curse and despitefully use us.

Jesus said by this we show that we are children of our Father which is in heaven. So it appears that when we love as Jesus loves us is when we know we are doing what is right.

So when we are presented with a situation that puts pressure on us. The way we know we are doing what is right is when we are loving as Jesus loves us. And as Jesus expressed His love for people while He walked the earth as a man.

This means that sometimes we will figuratively make a whip and drive the person out as Jesus did the money changers in the temple. And at other times speak gently with that same person after they have humbled themselves before God.

We have an example of Paul doing this in 1st and 2nd Corinthians. In 1Cor.5:1-7 Paul told the fellowship of believers in Corinth to send the man out of the fellowship that was having sex with his father’s wife. Actually his exact words were, “deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

And then in 2Cor.2:6-10 we see Paul telling them they need to receive him back into the fellowship because he had turned from his abominable practice. Paul showed his original motivation for telling them to kick him out was love. Love for all those in the fellowship. And love for the man who was kicked out.

Knowing what is the right thing to do is subject to that choice’s connection and alignment with the word of God. The whole counsel of His word. Which means we need to know it well enough to ensure that we are making quality and godly choices….