When we were coming up, we were often told to DO THINGS RIGHT! There’s a right way to brush your teeth, a right way to comb your hair, a right way to make up your bed, a right way to clean your room. There were a lot of rules (well maybe that was just in my house). We were often reminded to DO THINGS RIGHT! Good v. Bad; Right v. Wrong; Accurate v. Mistakes!
As adults, some of us are still very focused on DOING THINGS RIGHT! There’s a certain way we want things done; and for many of us, it stems from what we were taught as children. There’s a certain way to load the dishwasher. If you don’t do it that way you didn’t do it right! A certain way to fold clean clothes…etc.!
I submit to you that GOD is very interested in us DOING THE RIGHT THING; more so than DOING THINGS RIGHT!
Prove it!
- If you were around 2000 years ago, and you were sick, would you want JESUS to DO THINGS RIGHT? If so, He would not have been able to heal you on the Sabbath. The law said that that’s not how you do things. But because He DID THE RIGHT THING…He healed a man whose hand was withered on the Sabbath ([Mar 3:4 NKJV] Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.)
- Jesus walked up to a bier (Luk 7:11-17) and instead of stopping to honor the dead…he DOES THE RIGHT THING and goes over and touches the stretcher that is carrying the child. He does so because He has compassion on her. This woman was a widow so she had already buried her husband. Now she was about to bury her son. Her resource was gone! Jesus didn’t do things right…he did the RIGHT THING! He restored to her what was lost and didn’t join the status quo of going along with the program.
- When reading about the widow’s mite (Mar 12:41-44), Jesus could have done things right and mentioned the givers who gave LARGE sums of money on that day! Isn’t that what we do? When you go to a social event, don’t they tell you who the DIAMOND, PLATINUM and GOLD sponsors are and aren’t they shown special treatment (vs. those of us on the patrons list)? Jesus DID THE RIGHT THING and brought attention to the woman who deposited the least but gave the MOST!
God’s command to us is to…DO THE RIGHT THING!
[Isa 1:17 NLT] Learn to do good. Seek justice (if you see something; say something). Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
[Mic 6:8 NKJV] He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
TODAY…look for opportunities to DO THE RIGHT THING! Let’s focus on making sure we don’t miss an opportunity to DO THE RIGHT THING!
Marcia Stokes is a God fearing, highly respected minister, motivational speaker and thought leader. Her passion is best displayed when she is leading, teaching and inspiring people to achieve their dreams and operate at their fullest potential. Marcia is the founder of Marcia Stokes Global Ministries, Inc. (a non-profit organization) and the Director of Learning & Employee Development at a global law firm. She is also a published author. Weekly, Marcia participates as a co-host in an International prayer call with Bishop Eddie L. Long, leading thousands of people in 90+ nations in exhortation and prayer. It is her highest honor!
Profound! It challenged my thinking. Just a rearranging of a few words make a great impact.