Popular Agenda?

Are right and wrong convertible terms, dependent upon popular opinion? (William Lloyd Garrison)

I came across this question today and wondered if you have ever pondered just how 'right' or 'wrong' our society is today. It seems that many are swayed by popular opinion - sometimes choosing to forsake previously held beliefs that had been foundational within their families for decades. As the 'tide' of popular opinion swells, it seems that there are many carried away with that tide. The clear distinctions between right and wrong get blurrier and blurrier with each movement of the tide. At some point, we might just realize that we need to do a complete RESET of our 'beliefs' because they are no longer based upon TRUTH, but upon opinion.

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? ...Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:11-12, 17)

The scripture is clear - if we know what is right, we are to do it. If we don't know - then it is time to get back to TRUTH so we can 'reset' the boundaries within which we will set our course once again. Truth is the only thing that matters - opinion is not important. Whenever we allow opinion to guide our thoughts, our actions are sure to fall below the standards laid out in God's Word. Keep his Words front and center in your life and your 'opinions' will no longer be swayed by the popular vote! 

A few weeks back, our pastor shared a brief two-week series on how to study the Bible. It was very practical, and I would like to challenge us to consider how much it could change our own lives if we were to embrace just one simple practice he presented. He challenged us to get into the Word - not by using one particular method, but by finding the one that works for us. Find a translation that makes sense to us - because if we don't understand it, we won't want to read it. Find a time to get into the Word - because if we aren't purposeful in making the time each day, we will squander it away.

One of the helpful tips he gave is this - use what helps you get into the Word daily. In other words, if it is a 'bible study' booklet, use it. If it is an online daily devotional, so be it. If you want to study a topic, set out to study it. If you are drawn to use a specific outline format, adopt it. The important thing is to just get the Word into your life. The more you do, the less you are deceived by 'popular opinion'. You will know the truth, it will guide your actions, and you will live free of the quandary of 'right' vs. 'wrong' that seems to be inherent in so much of the 'popular agenda' right now. Just sayin!

Not another opinion!

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.(I Peter 3:8)

One mind is hard to get your mind wrapped around, isn't it? We all have an opinion, and some may come close to what yours is, but does it match perfectly? Not always. In fact, there are more opinions in this world than there is truth! What does it mean to sympathize with each other? I believe we need to see things through each other's eyes in order for us to 'come into one mind'. It is never going to happen that we see things perfectly as the other person does, but we can come into a place where we don't compromise truth and that is when we become of one mind.

The outcome of being united in truth is that love flows freely - there is an outpouring of the grace and goodness God has given us. I have one brother and sister, but I have 'many' in the family of God that are my brothers and sisters. Truth should never be compromised, but if we don't keep it ever before us, we can allow the things of this world to counteract any opinion that we hold. We need to study truth, allowing it to influence our every thought, countering every held opinion that doesn't align with the Word of God. When we do, we enter into 'community' and 'family'.

As we begin to relate within community, we also begin to see our attitudes toward things changes - but only to the degree we embrace truth and allow it to influence our hearts. The heart is influenced by the thoughts we mull over time and time again. Isn't it a good thing to 'mull over' scripture - allowing truth to invade each and every aspect of our heart? Tenderhearted people aren't born that way - they allow the Word of God to influence them over and over again until the hardness of heart no longer exists. When opinion becomes less and less important, we will find it easier to resist the tendency to be prideful.

We might find it easier to 'get along' with our family if we let go of some of the long held opinions that are contrary to the Word of God. Just sayin!

But...what will they think?

There comes a time when we have the perfect time to acknowledge our faith in Jesus, only to become timid and almost 'embarrassed' to do so simply because our 'social group' would think us 'odd' or reject us because of our 'stand'? There are times we think more about our 'social standing' within the group than we do our opportunity to be light and life in a very, very dark world. The leaders believed, yet their 'fear' of the impact on their 'social standing' as 'leaders' actually caused them to keep silent about Jesus. It is a sad day when we care more about what others think about us than we do about drawing closer to Jesus, allowing him to use us in whatever 'social grouping' we have been placed.

Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.” (John 12:42-47)

To think more about human praise or status than the praise of God is to walk a very slippery slope. We might think our 'status' in Christ will make others uncomfortable, but sometimes we worry more that is a 'bit threatening' to our own social status in the group! Yes, Jesus made people uncomfortable - but that was because they were more concerned with the way they were seen by the masses than they were in drawing closer to him. They didn't want to be identified as sinners in need of a Savior. They didn't want to be 'shy' with their faith, they just didn't really know how to be 'bold' in their beliefs.

The good news is that when Christ died, was raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to reside within his followers. There is no need to be timid or shy with our faith any longer - for the Spirit of God will not only show us how to live 'above' the crowd's opinion of us but will give us the boldness to actually live consistently without fear of human opinion. There is no 'position' on this earth, or social standing that is better than standing 'in Christ'. So how is it we get all caught up in human opinion of us? I think a little thing called pride gets us all messed up in this matter.

We 'like' being accepted and we 'appreciate' being noticed in a positive manner. Whenever the attention turns from us being liked or appreciated to a place of being a threat or someone others take issue with because of our beliefs, we almost want to hide. The line between being 'bold for Christ' and 'not being a light' in this earth is a very fine line. It is quite easy to cross over it when the opinion of the social group we 'admire' becomes the focus instead of keeping Jesus first in our lives. The more influence we give human opinion in our lives, the less bold we become for Christ. 

Salt isn't savory when it is diluted to the point of only giving a 'hint' of that salty taste. Dilute your 'faith' or 'beliefs' too much and you lose your 'savor' in this world. When we are willing to be salt and light, we are making a determination to live above human opinion because the only 'opinion' that matters to us is that of our Lord! Just sayin!

Human opinion disables us

 The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that. (Proverbs 29:25)

How many of us are subject to human opinion? If you don't think you are, ask yourself if you go to the 4 or 5 star items on that online store, reading the reviews of the products you are considering. If you do, you are subject to human opinion - reviews are actually a form of offering one's opinion of a product, service, or place. We all rely upon human opinion just a little bit - even if it is to swerve right as we are going down the road as we have seen the three drivers in front of us do already. We don't know why we are swerving, but based upon what we have seen, we respond similarly. That is the bad thing about human opinion - we respond similarly based upon what another thinks or feels. If you have ever read mixed reviews of a product, you know how conflicted you can be in reading them. You know some absolutely love the product, while it totally disappointed others or simply didn't meet their expectations.

Opinion is based upon two very dangerous things - expectations and performance. How many of us know performance doesn't always match up to expectations? Performance doesn't always match up to promises, either! The grounds upon which we base an opinion may not be sufficient to form a 'solidly reliable opinion'. One thing I have come to count on is how well a product performs. If I see the laundry detergent reduce my need to apply stain removers, add bleach, or even 'rewash' items, I am more likely to repurchase that detergent. Why? I have formed an opinion based upon reliable performance. If the manufacturer chooses to change the formula then the performance may change. Even the performance that I once counted on observing isn't consistent all of the time, is it? No wonder God tells us human opinion can 'disable' us if we count on it way to much!

If we count on another's opinion of us, we certainly will be subject to being weakened and sometimes even unable to perform as we usually would have performed. Why? We are crippled by their expectations - either because we know we cannot match up to them, or because they keep changing! Performance will waver - we are humans subject to 'varying' performance based upon skill, energy, reasoning capacity, and even desire. There is only one individual whose opinion really matters - Jesus. His expectations never change. They are consistent and revealed to us plainly in scripture. We don't have to 'guess' about what he will desire to see - the performance he will expect. We can be free of human opinion when we come to the place of recognizing only one expectation matters - love the Lord your God with all your heart. From that stem all other 'performance', such as loving your neighbor, taking care of the needs of others, and extending grace even before it is sought. Just sayin!

Are they reversible?

William Lloyd Garrison, a journalist from the 19th century asked, "Are right and wrong convertible terms, dependent upon popular opinion?" Mr. Garrison actually died in 1879, way before any of the present issues arose in government, health, and cultural climate. Yet, he may have had a little insight into human nature when he posed that question, for humankind has always tried to make wrong right since the beginning of time. It is the 'spin' that mankind puts on an issue that 'converts' it from wrong to make it seem a little closer to right. That 'spin' has been around since the Garden of Eden!

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to good teaching. (Proverbs 12:15) 

While the question Garrison posed during the time he worked to free slaves in America is important, there is a lesson to be found in it for all of us today. Are 'right' and 'wrong' actually able to be switched - dependent upon the whim of whoever is the loudest or most 'heard' voice? I think society as a whole is frequently in danger of 'accepting' what appears right without any real investigation into a matter - because we trust our media to educate us rather than allowing God to lead us into truth.

There are always going to be 'sides' in a matter - it is human nature to create an opinion on a matter. We form these opinions based upon a set of morals we have 'believed' and a certain element of 'faith'. Our morals actually act as the 'rules of conduct' by which we make choices in life. If these 'rules of conduct' are closely aligned with scripture, we usually find ourselves making 'right' choices. When we allow our 'morals' to be swayed away from scripture, subtly allowing compromises to enter into our beliefs, we in danger of forming opinions that are not capable of producing the same upright results in our lives.

The 'sides' don't always appear as they did in the old western movies - the evil villain wearing a black hat and the good wearing a white one. If they did, it would be easier to spot the ones to avoid, wouldn't it? The 'work' that goes into uncovering the 'sides' in life is hard, but if we are to avoid compromising our moral standards, we must do the work. Herein is the rub - we want to choose well, but we don't really want to expend the effort to ensure those standards are always upheld.

Many will read this and think I am merely writing this because the elections are upon us. Yes, they are and our 'work' at uncovering the truth about each candidate is important, but I write this with a more global perspective in mind. Our choices each and everyday will affect not only ourselves, but others around us. Each compromise provides an opportunity for someone else to view our actions and ask if it is okay to make the same compromises in their own. We actually present the opportunity for someone to form an 'opinion' based upon our actions. 

I think this is why God reminds us to not be prone to just do whatever seems right in our own eyes - to not be swayed by opinion, but to be upheld by truth. Truth must win out each and every time in our choices, but if it doesn't - that is where grace enters in. Grace doesn't allow us to live 'within' the compromises, though. It challenges us to turn from them and allow the right moral principles to become the ones that guide our steps once again. Right will never be wrong and wrong will never be right. Just sayin!

Ruffled feathers

I get very little enjoyment from watching TV these days unless it is a re-run of Little House on the Prairie or the Waltons.  The airwaves are riddled with all kinds of commercials advertising the need to lose weight and the "miracles" which can be accomplished with this device or the latest "medical breakthrough".  As election season is upon us, they are also riddled with all kinds of smear campaigns.  If this is not enough, the news is propagating all the "hype" about the family-owned business known as Chick-Fil-A.  Evidently, taking a stand to support marriage between one man and one woman is a crime in our country!  There have been bomb threats, people driving through the drive-thru windows taunting and ridiculing the employees, and all manner of silly debate over what has now been termed "hate food".  If I step on a few toes with this one, I will not apologize!


If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world's terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God's terms and no longer on the world's terms, the world is going to hate you.  (John 15:18-19 The Message)


Jesus put it out there - he prepared us for exactly what we are seeing today.  The godless world cannot understand the "traditional" views of those who have chosen to follow the example of Christ.  Their outrage toward the "family values" of this restaurant chain's founding fathers is ill-placed.  They are really angry at a higher power!


The fact is, whenever we choose to live on God's terms, we will ruffle a few feathers!  I'd like to quote something my daughter posted on her timeline the other night:


"All the people who are boycotting Chick-fil-A are doing nothing more than spreading more of what they themselves are calling "Hate" by judging that company and it's owners and the Americans who support them. It's fine if you don't agree, but it doesn't mean you need to be malicious or hurtful in doing so."

The words of a 33-year old woman echo so much truth!  We "judge" so freely - based on opinions we have formed.  Then we go about thinking it is okay to display our "hatred" toward one "group" or another - simply based on opinion. When a man or woman takes a stand to live by the truth revealed in God's Word, they are considered narrow or bigoted.  Becca could not have said it any better than she did - you can choose to disagree, but when it becomes malicious or hurtful, the opinion we hold is doing more harm when it is expressed!  Another friend actually said she was taking a "sabbatical" from Facebook for a while until the controversy died down!  She would not follow the posts of her friends, or become burdened down by all the frustrations.  


Jesus warned us of this very thing - the world has an issue with any "opinion" founded on the truths of scripture.  As Becca so aptly put it in her post on Facebook - it is not her opinion - not her religion, but her belief.  Opinion and belief differ.  An opinion is based on something for which you have INSUFFICIENT evidence to produce ABSOLUTE certainty.  Belief has some of the same characteristics of opinion - making it easy to confuse belief and opinion.  With both, a sense of confidence is apparent, as is a sense of conviction.  


The difference comes in what each produces in one's life.  My opinions don't always produce the best of fruit!  On the other hand, my beliefs tend to direct me in the path which bears fruits like love, kindness, and long-suffering.  So, I will choose to stand on my beliefs, not my opinions.  I will choose to allow my beliefs to affect my actions, not my opinion of others or circumstances.  


It is my goal to live in such a manner so as to reflect the love of Christ.  I will not compromise my beliefs - but I will also not argue my opinions!  Every man or woman is entitled to both.  Whatever the choose to "stand upon" determines the course of their lives.  May it be that which produces fruits like love, kindness, and long-suffering.  May it always reflect the image of Christ to a world who simply does not understand with CERTAINTY the ABSOLUTES of his truth.