Week 42 Day 2
Principles Aren’t Elastic
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Titus 3:5
Vain is every outward rite,
Unless thy grace be given:
Nothing but thy life and light,
Can form a soul for heaven.
Do you sometimes bend your morals, giving in to temptations just a little bit? We’re all tempted from time to time to give up the things we believe in for some temporal pleasure. Sometimes we forget our core values and let temptation get the best of us. Abraham Lincoln once reminded a friend, “Important principles may, and must be, inflexible.” Don’t let your values be elastic. Don’t stretch them too far, allowing yourself to disavow the things that are most important to you. When you stretch or bend your principles, you may end up broken. Lincoln knew the importance of being rigid and firm when it came to important principles. He didn’t give in and fought hard for what he believed in. What if Lincoln had given in? What if he let up and freed only half the slaves? Don’t let temptation get the best of you—be inflexible.