Evil

I have been taught to recognize evil and wickedness since I was a young kid. We don’t always call “it” that anymore. We use all sorts of “softer” terms like indiscretion, mistake, bad behavior, bad actor, immoral to describe evil.  I think evil deeds reflect an evil heart. I believe our behavior flows from our heart.

For forty years, during the lifetime of Gideon, there was peace in the land of Israel. After his death, evil came out in force. One of his sons sought power and then slaughtered the rest of the sons. The youngest son of Gideon escaped, and he cursed Abimelech for his wicked behavior. The Lord also got involved in taking down Abimelech. This guy, Abimelech really was one evil man. The Lord took him out from power. Check this out….

⁵⁶ In this way, God punished Abimelech for the evil he had done against his father by murdering his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ God also punished the men of Shechem for all their evil. So the curse of Jotham son of Gideon was fulfilled. (Judges 9:56-57 NLT)

There are times when I read about some of the evil practiced, I’m appalled that it is the history of God’s people. There are certainly lots of bright spots where good, godly men led well. I have decided that I have to be on the lookout for good leaders. I also think it’s important to look past their decisions to see where their heart’s affections and desires lay.  I was reminded as I was reading this passage this morning of another passage in Jeremiah that is highlighted in my Bible. Check this out….

⁵ This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
    who rely on human strength
    and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
⁶ They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
    with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
    in an uninhabited salty land.

⁷ “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
    with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
    or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
    and they never stop producing fruit.

⁹ “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
    and desperately wicked.
    Who really knows how bad it is?
¹⁰ But I, the Lord, search all hearts
    and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
    according to what their actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:5-10 NLT)

I want to check my heart before I say anything. It is too easy for my head to get ahead of my heart. I want my heart to be surrendered to the Lord’s will and His way for me. I want the actions that I take each day to come from that heart surrendered to the Lord.  I know that there is evil and wickedness all around me. I want to be careful to seek out the still, small voice of the Lord in making decisions and in choosing how I live and lead.

Pressing On!

Dwayne