By Brent DeWees

 “Wrong is always wrong, even if everyone is doing it. Right is always right, even if no one is doing it.” It was a simple post on a friend’s Facebook page. But it has significant meaning. In a world that blurs the boundaries, it’s important to have a reference for what is right and what is wrong. The political arena is home to lobbyists and special interest groups, giving us the impression that truth or “rightness” can be influenced, if not purchased.

Where’s the Level?

While building a new church building, it became evident that our volunteer laborers had been accustomed to “close enough” when using a level in a building project. The problem was that when covering spans of 26 feet in height and 100 feet in distance a “little off plumb” can cause a large deviation on the far end. Before the project was finished we had learned to make it plumb, or suffer the consequences! That is the way it is with following God’s Word—a little off plumb can have eternal consequences!

Do the Right Thing

We are often tempted to follow what we think is right. We want to follow the crowd, even when it is wrong according to God’s standards. We prefer to show favoritism, even when our side is wrong. We tend to want to neglect the care and safety of others to justify ourselves. The Word of God teaches us to do the right thing, even if no one else is doing it. If we go with the crowd, follow the trends, or give in to political correctness, we have moved off plumb from God’s standard. That is not where God wants us to be. James tells us, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

Brent DeWees is the preaching minister of the Ripley Church of Christ in Ripley, West Virginia. He, his wife Diane, and son Nathanael live in Sherman, West Virginia.