Based on Principles

Somehow you just knew that it was not the best thing to do.

But then you did not say anything. Maybe you were afraid that your actions would be misunderstood, since everything and everyone made you believe there would be another, better alternative for the problem.

As the time goes by you find out that what you had anticipated happened. And you regret that you had not stuck to what you knew was best.

Something like this could have already happened to you, either related to small or big issues. We, besides saying “Yeah, I knew it was not supposed to be that way”, ask ourselves: “How could I be so sure it was wrong when everyone said otherwise”?

I dare to answer: principles. When our opinion and vision are based on principles, we easily imply the notion of the right thing to do and hardly err. It is possible to go against our principles, but we end up broken when we do that. When other opinions are offered to us, oriented toward personal, fugacious, or just plain wrong values, you can be sure that, even though they might look like the right thing to do at the moment, they will not last.

People who keep principles and actually allow their lives to be conducted by them follow the safest path. At many times, they might not do the most popular thing at the moment or pursue the fastest way to get something. They might even find some enemies and cause some faces to turn along the way. But they will not only eventually get to the right place, but instead, they already are there. Jesus Christ, who is The Way, reveals in his Word principles worth keeping. Besides that, they bestow on us vision and something similar to a "prophetic gift”.

For that which is not based on principles will, eventually and most certainly, fail.

Rev. Lucas André Albrecht
Senior Chaplain at Ulbra, Parish Pastor at “St. Paul”,
Canoas ,RS, Brazil
www.ulbra.br/pastoral

Translator:

Rev. Paulo S. Albrecht

Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

Text  revision

Ms. Kim Starr

MA Practical Theology & Deaconess Certified

Wisconsin, US