Ethics: November 16, 2010

Today's Word for Tuesday November 16, 2010

ETHICS

DEFINITION

The body of moral principles or values held by or governing a culture group or individual; a moral principle; a rule of conduct.

SCRIPTURE

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord: I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Hebrews 8:10

"You will be accepted if you do what is (ethical) right. But if you refuse to do what is (ethical) right, then watch out. Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you, but you must subdue it and be its master." Genesis 4:7

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Over the years the moral values of our country have steadily declined. Today the Bible cannot be read and the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed in public schools. Laws also have been made that bans the Ten Commandments from public places here in America. We are living in a society that has chosen to put aside God's standards of ethics.

Most people today have rejected God's ethical standards of living, choosing to set their own standards of right and wrong, put their own interests first and then doing as they see fit. Man's sinful nature has not changed with time. In Judges 17:6 we read that not long after the death of Joshua, all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. This is exactly what we are seeing today in America.

God took Moses up on to the mountain top and gave him a code of ethics for us to live by. These are the most complete and important list of ethics that has ever been known to man. We know these as the TEN COMMANDMENTS. These commandments as listed in Exodus chapter 20 cover every detail that one needs in order to live a Christ centered life, even in today's world. They are as relevant today as they were when God gave them to Moses.

In the New Testament Jesus adds to this list two more commandments in Matthew 22:37-38. They are:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

These commandments from the Old and New Testaments clearly give to us God's standard of ethics and a moral code that He expects us to live by. God expects us to live by these standards of ethics and not by what we think is right. The scripture tells us in Proverbs 14:12 that there is a consequences for doing things our way. "There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death."

From our early childhood days we were taught to obey Gods standards of ethics. One day when I (Dottie) was about 8 years old, I walked to a neighborhood store on an errand for my mother. I met a neighbor girl, a good friend, in the store and we paid for the items we got and walked out together. On the way home she pulled a candy bar out of her pocket. I knew she must have stolen it as she had not paid for it when we checked out of the store together. This troubled me to the extent that I chose not to associate with her very much any more. You see, I had lost trust in her and did not agree with her ethical standards.

When we do not live by God's standards and we are unethical, we not only sin against God but we affect how others see us. Sin, breaking Gods ethical standards, always has consequences.

We urge you today to make a commitment to first read through THE TEN COMMANDMENTS yourself and then with your family. Then follow this with a time of discussion as to where you stand in relation to each commandment. And then finally make a commitment to live daily by this set of ethics that God has given including the two commandments from the New Testament.

One final thought: Take the time to either find a printed version of the Ten Commandments or print it out yourself and place this list in a prominent place in your house where it can be seen daily by all.

LEARNING

Our memory verse for this week is found in Deuteronomy 33:27

The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms.

PRAYER

Thank You Lord that You have given us this code of ethics to live by. Help me to know each of these commandments and to do all that I can to live by them today. Strengthen the faith of my family today that we may not be swayed by the immoral and unethical standards of the world. Give each one of us the courage to stand up for what we believe and for the God we believe in.