You Are Never Wrong By Doing the Right Thing.

By Greg Sanders

There is often an inward struggle between doing the things we want to do and the things we know we should do. This happens when we get angry. We want to do things we know we should not. It also happens when we get blessed. The question becomes, “Do I steward my blessing in the way that God desires?” James is pretty straight forward about this struggle, in James 4:17 he says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

One of my mentors used to say it like this; “You are never right doing the wrong thing, and you are never wrong by doing the right thing.” That single statement has helped me apply James 4:17 so many times. There have been multiple times when I wanted to justify doing the wrong things and also had good reason for not doing the right thing. Haven’t you had good reasons for doing the wrong thing? Perhaps the person you wanted to do the wrong thing to deserved it. Perhaps the person you wanted to do wrong to had already done wrong to you. We have all had those moments when we were faced with the choice to do what we wanted to do and doing what we should. Each time I had those thoughts I think back to the truth of God’s Word. When we fail to do what we know is the right thing we sin.

Sin never produces good results. So while we may see no humanly good reason to do the right thing, there is a higher reason to do good. By doing the right thing, we invite the help, the comfort, and the blessings of God into our situation. Each time you choose to do the right thing you are inviting the life of God into your life. 

Today’s Challenge: Remember, you are never wrong by doing the right thing. You are never right by doing the wrong thing. When faced with choices today, choose to do the right thing. You will be glad you did.

Blessings,

Greg