Articles
Right
Right. It is the opposite of wrong. We think of words like correct and true. We talk about doing the right thing. It's not always the easiest thing, the most convenient thing, or the thing I always want to do - but it is what's right.
Hosea 14:9 reminds us that God's way is the right way. That's a habit we need to develop - doing the right thing every time. When I'm checking out at a restaurant and the cashier gives me too much change back, I give it back because it is honest; it is the right thing to do. When someone is waiting for a parking space while another backs out, I don't just pull ahead of them into the space even if I can maneuver it. I let that person who has been waiting have that spot because it is the right thing to do.
Telling the truth is the right thing to do. When asked why I didn't do the assignment for class, I don't lie to cover myself. When pulled over for speeding, I don't fake an injury or sickness. We tell the truth even if it comes with consequences, because it is the right thing to do.
Paul instructs children to obey their parents in the Lord because it is right (Ephesians 6:1). Peter encourages us as Christians to entrust our soul to God in doing what is right (1 Peter 4:19). James provides a sobering thought in writing that the one who knows the right thing to do and doesn't do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).
The easy way in life is not always the best way, nor the right way. We like things that are quick and easy. It's easier to cheat for the test. It's easier to lie to get out of trouble. It's easier to rack up a lot of debt for things you want to buy right now. It's difficult to do the right thing - to put the time in and study, to tell the truth knowing it will come with consequences, to work hard for money to buy the things you want, to wait until your married for sex, to live a holy life though you're tempted with sin.
In the ESV of Matthew 7:14 Jesus said that the way is hard that leads to life. It's not the easiest path to take. It takes effort on your part. But in the end it leads to life.
A prayer we need to say before we begin each day is, "Lord help me this day to choose the more difficult right rather than the easier wrong.
