Sunday, April 25, 1999 This Week's Lesson:
In this week's lesson, which came from Proverbs 8:13, we tried to learn more about God's attitude towards evil by trying to see badness through His eyes. Solomon wrote that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Because his teachings are Holy Spirit inspired, we should hate evil, too. As Christians, we should first refrain from a prideful heart. Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom." Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Next, we should not be arrogant. Isaiah 13:9-11 says, "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." Third, we should avoid the paths of life that lead to evil. In Psalms 26:5, David wrote, "I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked." Lastly, we should keep a clean mouth. Psalms 12:3 says, "The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things."
James 1:27 says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." The Bible is not ambiguous when it comes to telling us how we should live. Certain behaviors should be avoided while others should be embraced. Living right, however, is not a salvation issue. Living right will not save us, neither will we become unsaved by living wrong. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." We do not live right so that we can be saved. We live right because we are saved. A couple of byproducts of living right are that we will be kept from many of life's troubles while, at the same time, living life rightly will point others to the Lord. Unsaved people are constantly watching the actions of professing saved people. When our life gives testimony of an inward walk with God, then others will be drawn to the spiritual light that emanates from within us. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Because He loved others, we should also. Since we best show our love for the Lord and others by ordering our lives according to the clear, right teachings of Scriptures, we should always do this, too, to the best of our ability.
No one ever goes wrong by doing right. Even when the immediate results might seem negative, the long-term, eternal benefits of doing right are always positive. Therefore, as you go through the coming week, try to be the person that God wants you to be and try to live the life that will bring honor and glory to Him.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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