Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 2, 2015
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Proverbs 8:13
The word hate makes us uncomfortable. It has a harsh and uncaring ring and reputation. However, there is a holy hatred of evil that is allowed and even expected by almighty God. Authentic Christianity is not easy on evil, which breaks the heart of God and destroys the soul of man. Evil is an encroachment by the enemy on eternity’s agenda. It takes down leaders who let pride and arrogance seep into their thick skulls and stay there.
Indeed, if the rules apply to everyone but the leader, it is just a matter of time before the fear of the Lord becomes a foreign concept. Sin is out-of-bounds for any child of God who abounds in the love and grace of God. It is the wisdom of Christ that warms the heart, instructs the mind, and leads the way into behavior defined by truth.
“God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2–3 NASB).
Gossip, greed, jealousy, and lies are all evil intentions that corrupt a culture of transparency, generosity, contentment, and honesty. Stress can bring out the best and worst in others; so make sure, by the grace of God, you rise above the petty politics of blame. Wisdom and maturity seek responsibility to lead the team in excellent execution of a proven strategy. If you do nothing, the naysayers will negotiate fear and division.
Furthermore, fight evil without fanfare, but by faith and wise work, deliver constant, creditable results, and your antagonists will grow quiet. It is the humility and wisdom of Christ that defeat evil initiatives. Therefore, give Him the glory, get the job done, and trust the Lord with the results. Hard times can produce hard hearts unless you overcome evil with a humble heart of prayer and bold faith. Evil is extinguished under intense intercession of prayers from pure people.
“Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with” (James 5:16–17 MSG).
Prayer: What does a holy hatred of evil look like in my life?
Related Readings: Amos 5:15; Zechariah 8:17; Romans 12:9; 2 Timothy 2:19
Post/Tweet this today: Sin is out-of-bounds for any child of God who abounds in the love and grace of God. #hateevil #wisdomhunters
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Your link to share on FB do not work 9 tomes out of 10.
Dear Trina,
Thank you for letting us know. I will pass along that information to the folks that can look into it. I apologize for any inconvenience. Is there any possibility your FB app needs to be updated? The only reason I ask is because a few times I could not get the link either and I needed to update my FB app. Just a thought.
Let me know if that helps. If not, email me gwynne@wisdomhunters.com and we can look into so other options.
Thank you Trina, we appreciate your patience.
Grateful for you~
Gwynne