How do we move forward in a culture that is increasingly devoid of a moral compass? The new morality is guided by the basic "virtue" of celebrating everyone's personal inclinations and identifications regardless of any objective standard. We are being told that deviant behaviors should be encouraged and supported. The issue is that the point from which these behaviors deviate can no longer be identified. Everyone is now the arbiter of their own morality. But is this so different than the environment in which the church was birthed? What an opportunity for the church to shine against the background of darkness. Every person must still be viewed as created in God's image and under the love of God as demonstrated in the cross. What each person needs most is reconciliation to God, transformation by His Spirit, and rescue from the bondage of sin through surrendered faith in Christ.
Our role in this is to demonstrate the love of Christ through bold compassion without celebrating or supporting the sin. What is paramount is that our engagement with the world is with grace and truth. Our interactions should never be based on personal feelings or opinions, but on God's character and purpose communicated with the mind of Christ. What people want to know is can you be kind and respectful to someone with whom you disagree? In this area some Christians have fallen short. We need to ask ourselves if our conversations (especially social media) add fuel to the fire of the perception that Christians hate people who don't see things our way. What sacrifices are we willing to make in view of the bigger picture of building bridges with compassion in order to plant seeds of truth? What is more important: a normal day with its comforts, or investing in messy lives for the sake of the gospel? Let's reconsider the call of Christ to take our cross daily in order to follow Him.