Tag Archives: evil

Sly Grins

May 29, 2014

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...and the one who grins is planning something wrong...

…and the one who grins is planning something wrong…

Someone who winks is planning evil, and the one who grins is planning something wrong. – Proverbs 16:30 NCV

I once heard a story – I don’t know if it was an anecdote or a real event – about the employee that brought his boss information he had stolen from a competitor. He was fired because, as the boss said, “If you will do this for me, you will do it to me.”

Christ saw this problem in his people and had a solution (Matthew 13:15). He planned his ministry around helping the heart be more sensitive to sin.

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Why Evil Hates Good

August 8, 2013

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Why do atheists campaign so hard against what a Christian believes? Why do they care? Evil hates good so much that it must take action!

Evil Hates Good

It started in the beginning. Cain killed his brother “because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 3:12) Jesus expected to be hated and warned that “all men shall be hated” because of him (Luke 21:17)

Even in the beginning evil hates good

Cain slaying Abel – Peter Paul Rubens,1608-1609

In Mark 4:30-34 we see that Christ’s kingdom, represented by the mustard tree, is so large that even stray birds can live and prosper among the branches. These birds never really impact it for the good or the bad. When I think about those birds, I think about how insignificant the community outside of Christ really is and how we really don’t need to be concerned about it. At the end of the day, the kingdom will stand strong.

So why does evil hate good?

  • Psalm 6 ends with God’s enemies ashamed and troubled (Psalm 6:9-10)
  • The Scriptures make the heart burn when they are revealed (Luke 24:32)
  • Darkness cannot overcome God’s light (John 1:5)

Since God is the definition of good (James 1:17) and he is the only good one, (Mark 10:18) we begin to stand out as we strive to be like God. The world has never shown tolerance to those that are different.

But that’s what we want because it is the evidence of our heritage (1 John 3:10)

Daily Bible reading for August 8

Psalm 6
Judges 18
Jeremiah 34
Mark 4:1-34

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Proverbs 1:10-19 – Refuse to Follow Evil

October 1, 2011

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10 My child, if sinners try to lead you into sin,
do not follow them.
11 They will say, “Come with us. …

17 It is useless to spread out a net
right where the birds can see it.
18 But sinners will fall into their own traps;
they will only catch themselves!
19 All greedy people end up this way;
greed kills selfish people. – Proverbs 1:10-11a, 17-19 NCV

Contrast the birds’ ability to avoid an obvious trap with someone that enters willingly into sinful adventures – The easy score … The fast buck … “One upping” someone…

History is littered with the failure of those who thought they could avoid falling into their own trap. For the ultimate example of avoiding temptation, read about Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11.

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