"This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.'" (Isaiah 48:17-18)
Where do our morals come from? The other day I spent a lot of time considering the source of our values and how we determine what's important to us. For many of us who grew up in the church, a lot of what we do is shaped by the principles of our faith. The more constant influence is the teachings of our parents, which may also line up with the teachings of faith. What about those who don't come from a religious family though? What about the laws of our governments? Or the rules of our institutions? Interestingly enough, my opinion is that those "secular" values also stem from the roots of God's law. We are born sinful, and tempted constantly to engage in destructive behavior that hurts both us and our neighbors. Since ancient times (in fact, the beginning of time), God's law has been there to guide us away from our selfish and harmful natures. It is the basis for the morals we have passed down for centuries, the very core of our idea of what it means to be a "good person". Even if we don't recognize our actions as a breach of God's law, we can see the awful consequences of our actions. Sometimes it takes such a breach to turn us back to God, asking for His forgiveness and seeking His guidance again.
The verse from Isaiah that I quoted above speaks a truth that I often forget: God's path, no matter how difficult it seems at the time, is always what's best for us. Always. Following His direction is the only way to experience real peace, without the calamity that comes from the actions of our selfish nature. As I said though, as a sinful human I tend to go charging ahead with what I think is best for me. Sometimes I'm even aware of the consequences, and decide to go ahead anyway, simply because sin is in my nature and temptation is so very hard to resist. Paul recounts his own struggle with this in Romans 7:7-25, including his well-known lament in verse 15: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." As Christians we desire to follow God, and we know that His will is best, but despite our best intentions we stumble. At the end of the passage though, Paul shares the hope that we have even after we fall: "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (vv. 24-25)
God has us covered from all sides. He gives us direction to lead us to peace, and offers us forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son when we stray. Take comfort dear friends! Your Father gives you all you need for a life of peace and joy.
