Wednesday, February
1, 2017
The wicked
draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to
slaughter those who do right. But their
swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. It is better to be godly and have little than
to be evil and rich. For the
strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of
the godly. Psalm 37:14-17(NLT)
The laws and commands of God
are immutable. When He created the
universe this was so, and it is always so.
And of those laws and commands we can also see the inevitable war
between polar opposites. Up and down,
east and west, hot and cold are relationships which vie for supremacy. And if ever there was a war between polar
opposites it is the one raging between good and evil.
When we read the story of
Noah we find the corrupted character of humankind steeped in evil, pushing our
Creator’s forbearance to the limit:
Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was
filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for
everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to
destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the
earth! Genesis 6:11-13(NLT)
Genesis also tells us that,
of all the residents of earth, only Noah desired in his heart to live a life
pleasing to God, and it was that one man’s heart’s desire which touched the
heart of God to preserve humans along with the earth. The flood was God’s kindness, and our rescue
as a species!
The facts were clear –
humankind had brought evil and wickedness to daily living in such great predominance
that the worst of human character became the norm. And when that happens, life is barely more
than surviving the next day, an exercize of futility against a certain
destruction. Whatever else can be said,
life lived in the darkness of evil invites the judgment of darkness collapsing
upon its own foundation.
Listen to the words of Jesus
describing the demise of people who live a life of evil choices:
For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard
you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Matthew 7:2(NLT)
When you look around today at
the anger and violence which cover the earth, one cannot help but remember that
God’s patience does indeed have a limit, and He has told us what it will look
like when that envelope has been pushed to breaking:
When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in
Noah’s day. Luke 17:26(NLT)
For You Today
Every
day is an opportunity to choose: will
today find you stumbling around in the world’s preferred darkness, or will it
be living like Noah, lighting a candle of righteousness and peace?
NOTES
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