Code of Conduct

There is a “Code of Conduct” established by the society we live in which we are bound to follow. The country that we live in also has its own rules and regulations and we have to follow them very strictly. If not, we have to pay a price – fine or prison. Even at home and schools there are rules… We have been taught endless lists of do’s and don’ts from a very young age. Are you fed up following these disciplinary rules put up by parents, schools and other institutions? Are we obliged to follow this “Code of Conduct” and the never-ending list of rules?

Let us see what the treasure book says about this:

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK

Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done”.

Genesis 8:21

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Ephesians 2:1‭-‬3

When sin entered the World, it disrupted everything. It changed the normal course of the world planned by God and even the thought process of humans. The human mind became naturally inclined to evil from a very young age. By nature, i.e., naturally men became the children of wrath, walking in the course of this world which is trespasses, sins, evil and wicked ways, thereby living according to the spirit of disobedience. This is human nature by default. So if there is no Code of Conduct, then it will be a total chaos.

Imagine you live in a society that do not have any kinds of rules or Code of Conduct. You are free to do what you like and is free to live as you please. Remember, not only you, but everyone in the society is free to do what they want.

Let us assume that you love Hotdogs. One fine evening you crave for a hotdog and remembers the hotdog vendor across the street who sells these amazing hotdogs. You run to the stall and see a hungry mad crowd already around the stall screaming on top of their voices to get the vendor’s attention because there is no queue system. Slowly there will be fights over who should be served first and in no time, it will turn into total chaos because there is no proper Code of Conduct. Similarly, imagine there are no traffic rules. People would drive madly as they please causing accidents and even deaths of many. Also, such a society will be filled with theft, robbery, crime, violence and all kinds of wickedness because there are no rules to regulate the public. Everyone will do as they please. It will not be a healthy environment or a peaceful place to live.

We see a similar kind of society in Genesis 6. People did not fear God and lived as they pleased doing wicked. They did not follow the Code of Conduct expected of them. It grieved God and He regretted to have ever created man. The earth was so corrupt and filled with violence that He decided to destroy mankind because of their wickedness.

Rules and Code of Conduct are in fact to protect us and to help us be fruitful. The absence of rules which is lawlessness and indiscipline will result in total chaos, violence and destruction since the inclination of human heart is towards evil from a very young age. So if there are no rules or “Code of Conduct”, people will be barbaric and it grieves God. The world will be in utter chaos.

Disciplining is the practice of training people to obey rules or a Code of Conduct and it uses punishment to correct disobedience.

Disciplining by God

For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 3:12

God disciplines whom He Loves. So God is very much “for” disciplining because He loves his Children.

Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.”

Job 5:17

The Correction from God might not look okay initially but eventually will make us Happy. So do not despise His disciplining. He knows the best for us and disciplines us in the best possible way.

Disciplining by parents

We normally hate all these rules and disciplinary actions by our parents. It usually looks like they are totally against us and that they do not love us or understand us. Is it actually so? We saw in Proverbs 3:12 that a parent corrects the child who is a delight to them. If your parents do not love you or care for you, they will not correct you as your Code of Conduct does not matter to them. But if you are their delight, and they love and care for you, they will definitely correct you as everything concerning you matters a lot to them.

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

The word of God instructs the parents to discipline their children in the way they should live. No wonder parents puts up those rules for us from a very young age.

A fool despises his father’s instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent.”

Proverbs 15:5

The word of God calls the child who despises father’s correction “A FOOL”. One who receives correction is considered prudent or wise.

God loves us the most and after that it is parents who truly loves us. They try to provide us the best according to their abilities. This even involves a lot of sacrifice from their side. So embrace their love and affection towards you. Honor them, respect them and love them. They discipline us because they love us. It is your call to decide whether you want to be WISE or FOOLISH.

We are ambassadors of Christ and hence our code of conduct should not reflect anything else but one that is fitting to be His ambassadors. We represent Him and not our “self” anymore to the outside world. So, if our Code of Conduct is not right then we will be degrading Him and bringing disgrace to Him.

In Genesis 6 we see a very wicked generation who grieved God. In that wicked generation one man found favor in God’s eyes and that was Noah. How did he find favor? Noah walked with God and was found to be just and perfect. He did not walk in evil ways like others in his generation. Walking with God will make you walk in righteousness and to hate evil and wicked ways. So Noah found favor in the eyes of God because his Code of Conduct was pleasing to God and hence he and his family survived the destruction caused by flood.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Our Code of Conduct is to IMITATE GOD and WALK WITH HIM. If we walk with Him and imitate Him then we will Walk in Love, Light and Wisdom – a life fully pleasing to Him.

Treasures uncovered

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us about the importance of being disciplined. Help us to never despise disciplining by You or our parents. Help us to imitate You and walk with You and live a life pleasing to your eyes. In Jesus name, Amen.

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