What are Your Ethical Standards?
“Let us throw off everything that hinders…run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).
USA Today ran an article that stated:
“Two in three adults believe ethics “vary by situation” and that there is no “unchanging ethical standard of right and wrong.” Only 18% of the people ages 20-30 said that there was one standard of right and wrong.”
The Vancouver Province newspaper printed another study which concluded that we tell 200 lies a day – everything from giving excuses for our behaviour to saying things like, “I hate to bother you.”
What set of values dictate your ethics – your behaviour? Is it the Bible? Do you have convictions that cause you to say,
“I will never do that”
or
“For me, that is not an option?”
Do you even have a code of ethics?
We can’t expect our children, our grandchildren, our co-workers or the next generation to do what is right if they see us doing what is wrong.
The Bible says we are to
“flee from evil – not flirt with it.”
Even little things can erode your standards. If you don’t think through and write down your non-negotiable code of ethics, when temptation comes you might say or do something that you will be very sorry for. It could haunt you the rest of your life.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said,
“I am not a consensus politician, I am a conviction politician.”
The popular vote was not going to sway her decision-making. She had standards in place beforehand so she could chose wisely, even when the right choice was the unpopular one.
What kind of person are you? Do you have convictions and ethical standards? Or do you live by the consensus of others’ opinions?
Lord, the temptation to lie, flirt or steal is always there. We need You to give us the strength to obey You. Help us to set our face like a flint to what is right in your sight…to throw off every sin. Amen.
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