Read Philippians 4:8

“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”

This was the saying on one of my favorite bulletin boards at school. The message is clear – do the right thing. How do you always do the right thing? The answer to that is, you don’t. The simple truth of the matter is that we don’t always do the right thing. We may not even know the right thing to do.

Doing the right thing begins with thinking the right thing. We have to train our brains to dwell on what is right. It takes a conscious effort sometimes to not dwell on the wrong things. It is easy to dwell on our hurt feelings when we are on the receiving end of harsh words. Or we replay our own words over and over that were unkind towards our spouse or kids. We can get stuck thinking of ways to get revenge for a wrong we’ve endured. These are not helpful and definitely not where our mind needs to focus in order to think about things that are right.

So just what is right to think about?

It is right to think about God’s love for us. We can do this by thinking of how He loves us unconditionally. Think about His gift of forgiveness and grace. Think about His desire for us to be in a relationship with Him.

It is right to think about loving others. Think of ways to be kind and generous towards others. Think of ways to demonstrate love to someone who seems unlovable. Praying for people turns our thoughts towards God and loving others.

It is right to think about the spiritual fruit our lives bear. We should evaluate ourselves in terms of the patience we show ourselves and others; the peace we obtain and establish in our lives; the joy we feel and share with others; even the self-control we maintain in the heat of the moment.

We all know people who think they are always right. It can be a bit frustrating and annoying. Our goal in thinking about things that are right is not to have a sense of pride or arrogance. Our aim should be to obtain truth. It is not about being rigid and legalistic; it is about being full of grace.

In today’s society, we don’t often think of things in terms of right and wrong, or black and white. We like there to be a little gray area. We want a little wiggle room. Some would even claim that what is right for some, is not right for all.  It is as if the standard is different from person to person. So, how do we know what is right? God says only His way is right (John 14:6). He sets the standard for right and wrong. Early on in the Bible, God gives the Israelites the Ten Commandments. These were parameters for the Israelites to follow in order to be right with God and their fellow man. In the New Testament, Jesus tells the believers to love God and to love others. (Matthew 22:37-39) We can’t do this if we aren’t focused on doing what is right. Right thinking produces right actions. We reap what we sow. When we put time and effort into focusing on what God wants us to do, we are more likely to do the right thing.

Today, take some time to focus your thoughts on what is right. Ask God to show you what is right. Remember, it is never wrong to do the right thing.

Tammy Finney