Gjyste Vjerdha was busy working her nightly, graveyard-shift cleaning job at a restaurant with her 22-year-old son, Gentjan. As she tidied up a restroom, Gjyste found some women’s rings worth thousands of dollars. The thought of keeping the treasures might have crossed her mind, but she chose to do the right thing and take the jewelry to her manager. Later that day, the rings were returned to a woman who had accidentally left them in the restroom. Gentjan said, “You get so many things by hard work; you don’t need to steal or take from someone else.”

The apostle Paul once made an appeal to his friend Philemon who had likely experienced some theft by a man named Onesimus (v.18). During a stay in prison, Onesimus had become a believer in Jesus through Paul’s ministry (v.10).

Paul wanted Philemon to welcome back this young man who had once been Philemon’s slave—a pilfering one at that! The apostle wrote that to warmly receive the changed man would be “the right thing for you to do” (v.8). It was right, for Philemon’s forgiveness would reflect what Jesus Himself had taught and modeled.

As believers in Christ, when we do the right thing, the word gets around and others can see the beauty of real faith (v.5). When we’re forgiving, generous (v.6), loving, and kind (v.10), our actions reveal a right way of living for   Jesus’ sake (v.20).

Today you might come across something that doesn’t belong to you. You might be confronted with the opportunity to forgive someone who has offended you. Each moment of your life presents a simple question: Will you do the right thing?

Doing what’s right is a reflection of real faith in Jesus. Choose, for His sake, to do what you know is right today.

—Tom Felten

Taken from “Our Daily Journey”

In their “American Piety in the 21st Century” study, Baylor University and the Gallup Organization asked 1,721 survey participants about God’s character and behavior. They discovered that contemporary Americans worship at least four versions of the Almighty.

First, there’s Authoritarian God, who is seen as highly involved in believers’ lives and in world affairs, but who is ready to throw the thunderbolt of judgment on the ungodly.

Then there’s Benevolent God, who still sets absolute standards for mankind in the Bible, but is seen primarily as a forgiving God, more like the father who embraces His prodigal son.

Believers in Critical God understand Him as the classic bearded grandfather in the sky, who looks at the world in disapproval, but does not intervene-to punish or to comfort.

Finally, there’s Distant God, who is not active in humanity’s affairs at all, and is not especially angry either. Distant God is more of a cosmic force who set the laws of nature in motion and has left the universe spinning on its own.

Authoritarian, benevolent, critical, or distant-which is most accurate? Which do you believe God to be?

Moses once stood before God, shivering in awe as God declared, “I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. . . . But I do not excuse the guilty” (vv.6-7). God is holy, not indifferent; engaged, not distant; a “heartbeat,” not some impersonal electrical current. As to doubts about His personal nature, God wrapped Himself in humanity and lived out His character before us in Jesus-who loved and forgave and got angry at injustice.

Contemporary understandings of God are confused. Today, let’s discover afresh the One who went to the most extraordinary lengths to make Himself known.

—Sheridan Voysey

Taken from “Our Daily Journey”