After the recent riots a number of people amazingly sympathised with the rioters. They approved of the lawless element that had caused wanton destruction and misery to countless innocent victims. They seemed quite happy to stand in front of microphones, take the moral high ground and defend these outrageous acts. They appeared to have a distorted idea of what was right and what was wrong.
In the course of a ministry you meet many social misfits and hear their stories. If you check out the facts, these stories often turn out to be far from the truth. I hesitate to call it "lying" because often the misfit is simply totally confused. The boundaries between true and false, right and wrong, have become completely blurred. In his twisted mind, he may believe he is telling you the honest truth.
But the problem is not confined to those who are at the margins of society. I once had to bear the anger of a neighbouring couple, a respectable pair. They had done me a good turn. Somehow they believed that gave them the right to park their vehicle on my drive when my back was turned! Naturally I protested and asked for it to be removed. To my astonishment and frustration they took great offence.
The apostle Paul fearlessly exposes the process of untruth that sets in when humankind refuses to acknowledge God. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. … therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts …" (Romans 1:21-24).
Keep close to God in Christ. This will help you see clearly how to distinguish between right and wrong.
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