In our world of today, one of the most hoped for and needed requirements for living together, working together and surviving together is flat out morality. The word has been replaced with strategy and "gray areas." Most of the TV shows are successful when the characters rely on power struggles and winning. Even the so-called News prefers to avoid moral behavior stories and political in-fighting is seen as plain out entertainment and Constitutional one-upmanship.

I read somewhere that surveys tell us that morality has taken a back seat because of the new generations who argue that getting what they want is the overwhelming choice and compromising is for losers.

Morality, simply speaking, is concerned with our personal conduct and behavior. On the decline, you say? Well, unless the police blotter is not up to date, we'd best check out the latest data and fine there is considerable increase in crime, alcoholism, divorce, delinquency, and the list goes on. Lying has been replaced by "I don't recall" in order to stay out of legal trouble. We have shamelessly accepted "My truth" from "Your truth" and "real news" from "fake news."

Please don't misunderstand me because I realize that our human world has been loaded down with moral misbehavior since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. I'm just trying to understand why we haven't improved much in the thousands of years of human behavior. We have a famous liar, Roger Stone, who was a mentor to the powerful and encouraged his supporters to tell a lie often enough, powerfully enough and nasty enough and people will believe it.

Now, being truthful and moral can be a problem. "Honey, what do you think of my new dress?"

Do not reply, "Well, was the circus having a garage sale?"

"I thought you told me that you quit smoking!"

"There was a fire in a waste basket and I put it out with my jacket. I probably saved the office."

There was the time — when I was in school — that some boys put a heavy bench over the door of the teacher's lounge and no one could get back to class for hours. I'll never tell.

I digress.

We have laws in our world that must be learned, practiced and supported in order that we can live together peacefully, fairly and continually. Breaking the law can cause people to suffer and even die. When property is stolen, a neighbor is hurt because of vicious lies or people are treated terribly because of their race, beliefs, customs or cultures, it can be said that morals have been replaced by hate, ignorance or even convenience.

When people suffer and die because of their lack of the minimum ration of food, water and shelter because of needless wars, who's at fault? When we fail to support legislation that guarantees fair and equal employment, who's at fault? When someone is slandered or misrepresented and nothing is done to correct the wrong, who's at fault?

Where's the blame and who should be accountable?

Allow me to borrow from Leviticus, who spoke to God's people. The worship of God is both vertical and horizontal. Vertical in that God expects our loyalty and devotion. Horizontal in that worship is not complete without demonstrating loyalty and devotion to one another. "You shall not steal, deal falsely, nor lie to one another, for I am the Lord. You shall love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord. You shall honor your elders, I am the Lord.

We must accept a model, a paradigm, to follow in our day to day behavior. The model must be so perfect that it is worthy of worship.

The perfect choice is no other than our Lord Jesus Christ. We must immediately realize that life is going to be a bit tougher. No longer can we be just moralists and try to keep all those temporary fixes. For Jesus said we must do that and so much more. "You shall not kill and shall not even be angry with someone. You shall not lie; you simply do what is right. You cannot get even; you must turn the other cheek. You shall love your neighbor, and even the enemy that hates you."

I close with this. We are not perfect, but we try. We cannot always make the correct decisions, but we try. We cannot always tell what is right and what is wrong in complex situations, but we try.

We will try to pattern our lives after Jesus Christ and leave the ultimate judgement up to God. He is to be trusted over all.

Thanks, God!