0

                One of the pet words of our day is tolerance.  It is a good word, but we have tried to stretch it over too great an area of life.  Sometimes we have applied it too often where it does not belong.

                Tolerance, in one sense, implies the compromise at times of one’s convictions, a yielding of ground upon important issues.  Hence, over-tolerance in moral issues has made us soft, and could leave us devoid of conviction.

                We have become tolerant about the use of drugs or alcohol; we have become tolerant about wickedness in high places; we have become tolerant about immorality; we have become tolerant about godlessness; we have become tolerant of unbelief.

                All this brings to mind a saying from the Prophet Isaiah: “Woe to those who call evil, good; and good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

                So, from time to time it appears that humankind has been keen at confusing evil with good.  If evil were not made to appear good, there would be no such thing as temptation.  It is in their close similarity that the danger lies.

                Our modern society often differs from the righteousness of God and rests its decisions on emotions rather than the truth revealed to us by Jesus, Himself.  For example, some say, “a wrong deed is right if the majority of people declare it not to be wrong.”  By this way of thinking we can see our standards shifting from year to year according to the popular vote!

                Let us recall that God has not changed.  His standards of conduct have not been lowered.  God still calls immorality by its name, sin.

                So how did we get our values so mixed up?  For one thing, many are shortsighted.  We look for shortcuts to happiness.  We lust for immediate pleasure prompting us to think of evil as good.

                Another way to call evil, good is to say that morals are relative.  Some say, “As the occasion, so the behavior.”  So, we have changed our moral code to fit our behavior instead of changing our behavior to harmonize with our moral code.  For many nothing is firm today – no objective truths.  Morally they are drifting aimlessly without a compass or guide.  Yet right is still right even if nobody accepts it; and wrong is still wrong even if everybody denies it.  God does not change the moral law to suit our behavior.  He created everything with a purpose and plan.

                Jesus is calling us out of a 21st century world of delusion and deception in which evil is called good and good is called evil.  Only if the “veils” fall from our eyes can we acknowledge the truth as revealed by Jesus.

                The world needs to return faithfully to Jesus and His way and once again take Him seriously.