Tuesday, August 16, 2005

"Doing What's Right"

"And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right" (2 Thessalonians 3:13).

I was mowing my lawn yesterday afternoon when a friend drove by on his way home from work. As a fellow Christian I inquired about several of the other men I knew and he told me that one of them had taken a moral tumble. That sure saddened me as I recalled my conversations with this man over the years and my challenges to him concerning faithfulness.

Those of you who know me personally are aware that a signature mark of my ministry is a simple exhortation to stay faithful to God. I often will place my hands on the shoulders during departure and say "Stay faithful." I've said this for so many years that people now come up to me and declare, "I'm staying faithful!" or they ask me, "Are you staying faithful?" Yes, indeed, I am!

"Doing what's popular is not always right, and doing what's right is not always popular."  We all need to have this truth firmly embedded in our lives.  So much of what is so popular in the world is certainly not right and many times doing the right thing will simply not be popular.

In the daily text the Apostle Paul is concluding his second epistle to the young Thessalonian believers.  The broader context of the passage has to do with some faulty notions these young believers had about the return of Christ.  The immediate context deals with living our lives in the daily grind, summarized with the phrase of the daily text "And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right."  That's a good word for all of us.

The real stuff of the Christian life is choosing this particular day and every day to do what is right.  The husband who conscientiously works hard and returns home to his wife and family.  The homemaker who realizes the dignity in her profession.  The business leader who chooses short-term, visible loss for long-term, often unseen, gain.  The student who says "no" to the cheat sheet even though it appears "everyone else is doing it."  The teen who resists the urge to follow the crowd into perdition.  The man who passes the bar or the many venues for pornography.  The millions of faithful believers who will witness in word and deed of their faith in Jesus Christ today.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).


Be encouraged today and stay faithful!


Stephen C. Weber

Personal note: My wife, Brooksyne, often writes a brief note and a prayer at the conclusion of this message. This morning our Amish neighbor called and needed a ride to her parent's home on the other side of the County, so Brooksyne and Ester are gone.   The Amish use a horse and buggy for local transportation but will use "drivers" for longer trips and we periodically help them out.

This Friday night our Amish friends are having a hymn sing in their barn and have asked Brooksyne and me to lead it. I expect to have an opportunity to challenge those attending to have faith in Christ as well. I realize these email messages go all over, but I sure invite any who may happen to be local to join us. Just contact me for more information.