Musings

One of the most crucial aspects of life that can be viewed as both negative and positive is consistency. Consistency can be negative when it is difficult to seize the opportunity to make improvements in our lives. That which we do habitually can be viewed as being consistent. However, the routine should not be the only thing that governs our lives. Habits are hard to break, both good and bad, but some of them need to be broken. While habits can be viewed as an indicator of consistency on our part, our habits may not be logical for our betterment. That makes our consistency negative. However, when it comes to our moral decisions, there should be more consistency than that which is displayed by most of us.

Most people with whom I come in contact and have come to know are demonstrators of inconsistency. Their moral decisions are governed more frequently by the situation in which they find themselves than by what is morally right or wrong. The lives of these persons are lived in the gray areas that they create for themselves and are occupied by most of us. The black and white of Christian ethics have become blended, which creates confusion for others around us.

Is it ever right to lie to someone? Is it right for us to gossip about others? Is it right to take the life of an innocent person when the preponderance of evidence points toward their guilt? Is abortion ever right? Is it right to entertain prolonged conversation with you and then complain about you keeping me from doing my work once you are gone? These are some of the questions that clamor for consistency in our conduct that leans more toward right than wrong.

The Lord Jesus said to the angel of the church at Laodicea, “Because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16, NIV). They had deceived themselves with their inconsistency. Paul also instructed the church at Ephesus that they were to grow up in Christ Jesus so that they would not be so inconsistent in their beliefs, “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14-15). James advised us to seek the wisdom and direction of God and develop more consistency because “a double-minded man is unstable in all he does” (James 1:5-8).

As war rages in various hemispheres of our world, much of it is predicated on the belief that the preservation of certain religious beliefs demand the destruction of others. The writer of Proverbs declared, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (14:12; 16:25, HCSB). Whether Muslim or Christian, our determination regarding who is wicked or righteous is flawed because of our limited knowledge of the will and heart of God. Unfortunately, we as human beings are far too inconsistent in our character to judge someone else.

Remember, the judgment you give is the judgment you will get. And whatever you sow, you will also reap.