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A man visiting India was taking a stroll in the forest when he met a tiger. With great difficulty he was able to catch the tiger by the tail, but all he could do was to hold it—he saw no way to get to safety. Along came a Hindu Brahman. The man asked the Brahman to get a club and kill the tiger. The Brahman refused because to him animals were too sacred to kill. “Then hold its tail so I can kill it.” “I’ll do that,” the Brahman said. So he took the tiger’s tail, but then the man walked away. “Hey,” said the Brahman, “you promised to kill the tiger.” “Oh, I said that, but I’ve changed. Now I am a Brahman.” The moral of the story is that absolutes about right and wrong ought not to change. God is the source of moral principles that we should live by because they reflect His character. Here are just a few from the book of Proverbs, chapter 11: “The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights. Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Honesty guides good people, dishonesty destroy treacherous people. Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death. The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.” Of course, we don’t have the capacity to live perfectly by God’s righteous values. That is why God sent His Son to die and gives us His Spirit to live inside of us. As we submit to Him, He empowers us to live in ways that please God.
