James 4:17 – “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  NKJV

 

Every time I hear someone say, “Do the right thing” the question comes to mind, “What is the right thing?”  Sometimes, that is such an ambiguous statement that without clarification and more detail it would be impossible to determine what it actually is or what should be done.  But, in business, I heard it repeated every day and when I asked for more detail was treated as though I were a leper, antagonist, and someone to be treated with disdain.  I said to a high-ranking company official once, “Our policy and statement is ‘Do the right thing’ but what do we do if what I think is the ‘right thing’ and what you think is the ‘right thing’ are different?”  He paused a moment and said, “That could be a problem.”  Absolutely, so how do we determine what the “Right Thing” is?  I believe there are more answers than I can adequately address but want to give you something I believe will help.

• THE RIGHT THING should be rooted in “Common Sense”.

What makes sense and will not do harm to anyone but will provide a pathway to the resolution of problems or potential problems?  What is logical and ethical?  The problem is, too often, people want a script to detail what is to be done, when it is to be done, and how it is to be done, rather than THINKING.  Most things in life are not “black and white” but have varying “shades of gray”.  Of course, there are some things that are absolutes and there is not variance but in many cases there is more than one way to solve the problem and doing the RIGHT THING is thinking through the possibilities and finding the one that offers the best good for all concerned.

• THE RIGHT THING must be rooted in “Biblical Principles”.

Biblical Principles are or should be the basis of or moral and ethical standards.  The “WWJD” motto is applicable and when we truly discover what Jesus would do we find surprises along the way.  There is a time for “tough love” and requires us to “hold accountable” various actions and lifestyles.  There is a time for “mercy” and “second chances” which may be a fourth or fifth chance but is based on the situation and the condition of the heart.  What is the RIGHT THING biblically?  It is following God’s principles which always has as its ultimate objective reconciliation and restoration.  It matters not if it is business, social, relational, or spiritual the basic principles apply.  We are to be people of LOVE, not HATE. 

Doing THE RIGHT THING does not always present itself with crystal clarity and may require us to THINK through the situation but ultimately our decision and action must be rooted in the principles of God’s Word.  I had a person who reported to me once faced with a situation where they could allow a variation in the declared rules or they could go by the letter of the law, so to speak.  They came to me with the dilemma and I said, “Just Do the Right Thing.”  That person looked at me perplexed and asked, “But what is the right thing?  What is right for the customer or the company?”  We took the time to evaluate the situation, determine the options, and using common sense and biblical principles arrive at an option that would offer both the company and customer a reasonable outcome.  It was not easy and required explanation to superiors but it was THE RIGHT THING.  It was one of those cases I had addressed to the high-level company official earlier, “Whose definition of THE RIGHT THING should we go by?”  At the end of the day, I suggest that you be led by your conscience and be at peace that you have DONE THE RIGHT THING.

God bless you as you go through this day!