Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for September 5th, AM.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.

“Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!” Psalm 120:5

As a Christian you presently live in an ungodly world, and it’s little use to cry “Woe is me.” Jesus did not pray that you would be taken out of the world, and what He did not pray for you do not need. It’s far better to, in the Lord’s strength, meet the difficulty, and glorify Him through it.

Satan is always watching to detect any flaws in your actions. Therefore, be holy. Remember too that the eyes of all non-Christians are also watching you, and more is expected from you than from other people. Strive to give them no reason to accuse you. Let your goodness be the only “fault” they can discover in you. Like Daniel, make them to say about you, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:5)

Seek to serve God as well as to have ethical conduct. Perhaps you might think, “If I were in a more favorable position I might serve the Lord, but I can’t do any good where I am.” But the worse the people are around you, the more they need you to share God’s love with them. Those who are near yet not with God, and those who are far from Him, all need someone like you to turn their proud hearts to the truth.

A doctor should be where there are many who are sick. (Mark 2:17) Likewise, the place for a soldier is in the midst of the battle. And when you are tired of all the sin and struggle that seems to meet you at every turn, consider that all God’s saints through the ages have endured the trials too. They were not carried on soft beds to heaven, and you must not expect to travel any more easily. They risked their lives, and you will not be crowned until you have endured hardship as a valiant servant of Jesus Christ. Therefore, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13, TNIV)

Question: How does holiness affect your witness to others?

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If you could choose the gender of your unborn child, would you?

The concept of “designer babies” is not a new one.  Arguments against preselecting or prescreening embryos usually focus on two main areas: how far is too far and what happens to the unwanted embryos? Popular opinion holds that is it wrong to preselect either in favor or against certain physical traits or medical conditions, but for some couples, the idea of selecting the gender of their child is not such a big deal.

A recent report on CNN explained:

It cost this child’s parents around $9,000 and it is why gender selection is fast becoming a boom area of medical tourism. It’s more expensive and illegal elsewhere. Couples flying in on baby holidays from China, Australia and Europe. Officially, some 4,000 test tube embryos are created each year in Thailand. Doctors estimate more than 30 percent are chosen for their gender to fulfill the couple’s desire to override nature and select the sex of their baby.

Is it wrong for a family that has all sons to want to know what it’s like to raise a daughter? Is there benefit in giving a child a same gender sibling? For many countries, the risk is not worth the reward.  Canada, Europe, Australia and China all ban gender selecting, yet there is nothing stopping couples from taking a vacation to Thailand and having the procedure done there.

Some call it “family balancing” others cite cultural reasons for wanting or even needing a child of a certain gender.   Parents have the legal right to choose for their child, and in many places have the right to choose to end a pregnancy.  Should parents get to choose the gender as well? What do you think?

Morals and ethics are best learned as it is observed in the life of another. It’s best learned in relationship with one who is an impeccable model of morals and ethics.

We suggest Jesus Christ. No, not the Christian religious system . . . the man Jesus Christ.

The essence of Christianity is not rules but relationship. What a relationship with Christ provides is an objective reference point for right and wrong. Lacking an objective reference point beyond ourselves, we can become prisoners in our own subjectivity, designing ethical systems which we think we can keep.

What a relationship with Christ does is reveal our need to trust in something other than ourselves. Rather than trusting in our own efforts to “be good” or “try harder,” we begin to trust in the one who provides us with truth. A relationship with Christ is the integrating factor that makes it possible not only to understand truth, but to be able to apply it to your life and relationships, to issues of morality and ethics.

The person who has begun a relationship with Jesus Christ has not only become acquainted with truth; he or she has the truth living inside. It is through this relationship that you are provided with relevant direction and answers to tough choices that you face. He has the power and ability to help shape and mold you into a person of character, making a relationship with Jesus Christ definitely worth pursuing and developing.

Making a life is a matter of choices. Those choices are yours to make. And the choices you make will determine if you experience randomness, superficiality, and compromise or purpose, depth and significance.

You may find yourself presently at a crossroads . . . not sure which way to choose. Jesus Christ said to a group of his friends standing at a similar fork in the road, “I am the way, the truth and the life . . .” If you want to try his “road” or “way” and to know what kind of choices he offers, go directly to the source.

Jesus Christ lived, died, and came to life again so that you could be set free to experience all that life was created to be . . . he loves you and wants to make himself and his purposes known to you. He wants you to experience real life every day.

You can make contact with him personally by simply saying something like . . . “Jesus Christ, I still have a lot of questions about you . . . and I’m not sure I completely believe, but if you are the source of real life . . . the one who created me and died to free me, here I am saying I want to know you if you’re knowable. I want to experience relationships, character and life the way you created it. Please make yourself known to me. Thanks!”

Wherever you are as you read this today, you are probably looking for success. Can success be found apart from Christ? Sure! But if you are looking for that gut-level sense of meaning, joy and significance that circumstances cannot take from you, then look to the provider of purpose himself. Investigate what he has to say. You can do more than merely cope with college life; you can major in real life!

Copyright 1997 WSN Press, Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. Used by permission of WSN Press and Campus Crusade for Christ. All rights reserved. WSN Press, Campus Crusade for Christ–2500, 100 Lake Hart Dr., Orlando, FL 32832 USA.

Your best friend is a computer whiz and can design anything on the computer, even fake student I.D. cards that look exactly like the real thing. Since you’re not 21 yet (bummer!), you can’t go to many of the hottest clubs or nightspots near campus. Your friend asks, “Do you want me to make one for you? It’s so easy. Think about all the great times you’ll have. You don’t want to miss out, do you?”

Your roommate has a work-study job in the biology undergraduate office and helps out with the department’s printing from time to time. They have easy access to the next mid-term and offer to obtain a copy for you before the exam is given. “It’s O.K.,” your roommate says. “No one will ever know.”

How do you respond? Your responses to these scenarios could be quite telling.

No doubt an area where you will likely face challenges in college is the issue of your character or integrity.

Ask yourself, “Would I consider myself a person of integrity, high morals, and ethics? Am I trustworthy? If I were a prospective employer, would I want to hire a person like myself?”

Ralph Wexler, vice president of the nonprofit Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics, sums up the situation succinctly when he states: “Clearly the youth of today didn’t invent cheating, stealing, or lying, but they are perfecting it. . . . In today’s society, less than 2 percent of the high school and the college kids get caught. We’re creating a society where cheaters do prosper, and we can’t tell them honestly, that honesty is the best policy.”

As you go through college, you will need to establish the basis for your moral and ethical decisions. Upon what will your personal standards be based? Which of the following will they be based on?

• expediency: “I just do what is quick, easy, and convenient”
• emotions: “It just felt right”
• experience: “I’ve always done it like this, I’ve never been caught, and I’ve never hurt anyone or myself along the way”, or
• culture: “C’mon! This is America in the ’90s! Nobody believes or behaves that way any more.”

The problem is that these “let-your-conscience-be-your-guide” mindsets make it incredibly easy to rationalize or justify any behavior or action.

So, what’s the answer? It’s not a matter of establishing an ethical system and adhering to it. Nor is it a matter of simply following some rule book or “how-to” morals manual.

Morality is something that is better caught than taught. It’s learned as it is observed in the life of another. It’s best learned in relationship with one who is an impeccable model of morals and ethics.

But is there any person who has proven to be such an impeccable model of morals and ethics?

Copyright WSN Press. Used with permission.