Suffering For Right And Wrong

Text: “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” (I Peter 3:13).

How many people here this morning like to do good deeds? We like to do good deeds because we were raised with that thought in mind. Our parents taught us the difference between good and evil. Our Sunday school teachers shared with us Bible stories about people who did good and Godly deeds as well as those who did evil and ungodly deeds.

Our parents, our school teachers, and our Sunday school teachers were our mentors who demonstrated to us how to treat people, how to be obedient and understanding, how to forgive those who mistreated us, how to share what we have with those people who are in need, and how to follow the directions God gave to us in the Bible.

Those of us fortunate enough to have mentors like these have never forgotten what they taught us. There are some people in life who were not as lucky or as blessed as each one of us. As we were growing up, we can recall some of our friends who were always in some sort of trouble. Some were greedy and would steal something they wanted. Some were ready to fight at the least little incident. Some were not interested in school or school activities or Sunday school or church and ended up hanging out with the wrong crowd or other people who felt the same as they felt.

Raising young people today can be a very trying experience. I say young people, but actually some adults have a very difficult problem doing what is right and acceptable. What makes matters even worse is that many of these young adults, moms and dads, are projecting poor images and setting poor examples for their children.

Our jails and our juvenile detention centers are crowded with people who have made wrong choice for one reason or another. Counselors, clergy, judges, etc. try to help people of all ages focus on the good life. These professional people are trying their best to help people live honest, productive, and happy lives. It doesn’t work in all cases. We know this by reading the daily paper.

It appears that much effort and money is being wasted in an effort to do the right thing which is to help people get their lives together, get their priorities in order, and live the good live that God has in store for them. Maybe it comes down to people not knowing that life is a gift and that they are not here by accident. Maybe they don’t realize that God only gives us one earthly life and the rest of life is in eternity. Perhaps some people think that once this earthly life is over there is no other life.

I believe that all people want to do good, but they just don’t know what good is. Maybe the good life to one person is to be saturated with alcohol. Another individual might think that the good life is to be “high” on some drug or drugs. Alcohol and drugs have brought their toll upon God’s children.

Families have been torn apart; unborn children have been scared for life or born dead; suicides have been committed; many talented lives have been lost; opportunities have been buried, and many hearts have been broken.

You and I, as well as all other Christians, should always be ready and willing to help an individual stay on the straight and narrow road. I know that we are not perfect, but we have been taught right from wrong.

If we see one of our friends doing something we know is not right, it our Christian duty to approach that person and let them know God loves them, we love them and what they are doing or about to do is not right.

For example, two married people, not married to each other, working in the same office might strike up a love relationship which leads to adultery. This happens more than we would like to believe. I have seen this happen. People may have little problems at home and they take them to work and the first thing you know someone in the office lends a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on.

The listening person thinks it would be a good idea to help this person, so a luncheon or dinner invitation is offered and accepted. This relationship takes root and the two spend more and more time together. The first thing you know is that cheating and lying enter into the picture. A separation occurs and is followed by divorce. The end result is a broken-up family.

What started out to be something good caused much suffering and heartache for all the parties involved. There are people who really try to do the right thing, but the right thing turns into the wrong thing. We do not like to see people suffer.