Appearances Matter: Second John-b thru Jude-a

Consider the person around you, living a lifestyle that you know is not right. Almost certainly, this person's choices reflect behaviors that once would be almost universally understood as immoral.

But I had rather not go there in detail! Any discussion of morality, in today's society, is muzzled by the pressure of political correctness. What once was thought of as immoral is considered admirable in today's society. And many virtues from former times, are now vices.

So let me not belabor those points.

But what if we challenged people - all kinds of people, living a variety of lifestyles - to observe others, and copy behaviors and lifestyles that were considered "good", while avoiding those that are "bad"?

Dear friend, don't imitate the evil you see, imitate the goodness you see, because someone who does good comes from God.

Okay, so now we've got something. If I urge you to find a good person - and imitate the good things that person does - then in one sweep I may have caused you to examine yourself.

You will not see a person smoking, and think to yourself "That's good. I'll do that." You might take up smoking, but you will know that you are willfully making a wrong choice.

If someone encourages you to shoplift, and you take the advice, you are not going to be thinking "I must lift some merchandise because it is a good and right thing to do!" In your heart you know that you have done wrong.

The same would hold true of any moral issue. We do not engage in any type of immoral behavior (please use a broad definition of what is moral) as a result of convincing ourselves that to do so is morally right.

But those giving advice always fall down, when attempting to correct the wayfaring ones. "Who are you to judge me?" Now I believe that the person making such a statement has already pronounced judgment on him or herself.

You do not criticize a person that is engaged in true, selfless acts of kindness toward others (unless you have some unchecked mean streak in your heart). And if I did criticize someone for doing good, that other person is extremely unlikely to say "Who gave you the right to judge me?"

Acts of kindness are not the same as willful disobedience to God. The person so engaged has no reason to become defensive.

So let's get away from comments that can be held as being judgmental. Do not give others the opportunity to indulge the flesh, first by choosing wrong, and later by striking back defensively against those that have questioned their choices.

Just urge them to copy goodness, and avoid badness. Deep down, they know the difference!