If there is one major news trend in the business world these days it has to be the accounting scandals of Enron, World Com, AOL/TimeWarner and the like. As a civilization we're beginning to reap the accumulation of years with out a solid Biblical moral compass. Our economic system relies on honesty and trust as it's most fundamental basis. We've witnessed the pillaging of the public trust, and the liquidation of the personal life savings of thousands, by leaders who have no regard for their fiduciary stewardship, and, at the core -   a fatally flawed concept of   right and wrong.

Today we live in an age of pagan self-interest. It's Darwin's law of the jungle where the strongest/smartest/cleverest survive. But the one law that has always governed a civil society is the internal law of “self government”. I don't steal from you because it's the right thing to do, and I know there are eternal consequences to how I live on this earth - I'll have to give account to God for every word, thought and deed.

So how is today's Christian to live in this age of corruption? We don't have many modern hero's or positive societal pressure. It's a similar circumstance to what our forefathers   have faced throughout the ages.   Peter advised the 1 st   Century church as “God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout the (earth) (1 Peter 1:1) to “live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear (1Ptr 1:17)”

1 Peter 2:11 directly address how God wants us to respond when we‘re surrounded by an evil, moral-less society:

“Dear friends I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to ABSTAIN from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such GOOD LIVES among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds, and GLORIFY GOD on the day he visits us.

v.15 For it is God's will that by DOING GOOD you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but DO NOT USE YOUR FREEDOM as a cover up for evil; live as servants of God.”

God's way for us is to live in the opposite spirit of this world. To replace   compromise and corruption with purity and integrity. To be honest even when it‘s not in our self-interest. This is not always easy. Our parents generation carried with it a basic sense of God and country, right and wrong, and denial of self. Today's generation are the children of a self-absorbed   generation   characterized   by rebellion against God and His absolute moral standards. Today our culture has no generally accepted   standards   of right and wrong. The headlines of the day reveal the fruit of the spirit of rebellion is the spirit of corruption.

To be continued….