evil – Far More Life

Awakening

I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Psalm 36:1, NIV)

Lord, help me remember there are two types of people: those who are in awe of You and those who are not. There are so many things happening around us that are shockingly evil. We wonder, “How could anyone do that?” You provide the answer here: they do not respect You or Your standard of right and wrong. They are lost, moving through life in spiritual darkness.

In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. (Psalm 36:2, NIV)

It is true, Father, that when You are not on the throne of a person’s heart they put themselves there. Many people reject or ignore You, insisting they do not have a Creator and do not need a moral guide or a Savior. They set their own moral code and declare themselves righteous. They justify their actions and have no outside accountability. They are deceived by Satan, who wants to keep all people from finding far more life in You.

The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. (Psalm 36:3, NIV)

Without Your insight and guidance, God, they adopt beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and actions that are self-serving. They follow what is wise in their own eyes, disregarding Your wisdom. They cannot do or be good because they lack Your goodness. their perspective and understanding are limited. They are blind to present and future realities that are clearly visible to You.

Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. (Psalm 36:4, NIV)

You know every person’s thoughts and plans, LORD. You also know our nature; we are prone to listen to Satan’s whispers that justify wrong. Sadly, people believe the lie that they have gone too far to turn back. Not seeing the hope and help You offer, they are drawn further into wickedness.

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. (Psalm 36:5, NIV)

Thank you, Father, for being more loving and more faithful than we can understand. You offer forgiveness for every wrong we commit; there is nothing too sinful for Jesus’ blood to cover. We cannot fully comprehend such lavish love. And the faithfulness you show Your children overwhelms us with far more life. We know we do not deserve it. We are in awe of You.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. (Psalm 36:6, NIV)

Just as high mountains tower over us, LORD, your righteousness is immense. Your holiness is solid and cannot be moved or shifted. Like the oceans, Your justice is too vast for us to fathom. You see through actions and motives and never make a wrong judgment. You will not allow wickedness to go unpunished, and we trust You to exact justice at the perfect time. Thank you for preserving us from being overrun by evil. Thank you for offering us far more life even as we live imperfectly in this unrighteous temporary home called earth.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:7, NIV)

We praise You, Heavenly Father, for offering us a place of refuge. Your love and protection are priceless gifts. We are safe with You, even as danger surrounds us.

They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. (Psalm 36:8, NIV)

You fill our hearts with the fruit of Your Holy Spirit. There is never a shortage of moral goodness available to Your children. We can turn to you as often as needed to refill our hearts and minds with Your perspective so we can reflect Your holiness. When we are filled with You, we overflow with far more life that benefits everyone around us.

For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9, NIV)

God, You are our source of life and light. You awaken our spirit and pull our hearts toward the righteous path in every situation we face. In every spiritual battle we encounter You provide all we need for life and godliness. May we always look to You!

Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalm 36:10, NIV)

We are thankful that nothing can separate us from Your love, Holy Father. We rest in the knowledge that nothing can remove Your Spirit from us. Once You accept and forgive us, we belong to You forever.

May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. (Psalm 36:11, NIV)

We know that Your enemies are now our enemies. We live in a battle zone where there are constant attempts to drive us from You. Thank you for thwarting the attacks we cannot withstand. Thank you for giving us strength for the battle and Your power to overcome. With You, we are victorious! You empower us to reveal Your glory!

See how the evildoers lie fallen—thrown down, not able to rise! (Psalm 36:12, NIV)

You have promised that one day You will put an end to evil. We long for that day! We pray for the return of Jesus so that righteousness will again rule the earth. We are eager to experience the paradise that You are preparing to share with us. Free from the pull of sin. Free from the presence of evil. Full of purity and far more life. Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Sisters,
What situation has recently reminded you that there is no fear of God in some people?
How do you view and respond to those who are blind to righteousness?
How have you experienced God’s love? Faithfulness? Righteousness? Justice?
How has God been your provider of life and light?
Praise God for the awakening far more life in you!
-Shari

Let Your Light Shine

A friend’s picture of this light fixture caught my attention. The design reminds me of our lives: we are the socket, our relationships are the encircling rings, and God’s Spirit living inside us is the light. Before the Spirit indwells us we are dark, but He causes us to shine. No matter how many rings we have around us, the light can always reach them.

Physical light serves many purposes, including illuminating our surroundings and protecting us from harm by revealing danger. In the Bible, light is used as a spiritual metaphor. Spiritual light depicts salvation from our sins (Acts 26:18). Walking in the light means doing the right thing or following God’s instructions (Ephesians 5:8-9). The Bible is referred to as a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). Jesus calls Himself the Light of the world (John 8:12). Jesus also tells His followers:

You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16, GW)

Far more life embraces the call to be light for the world. We are instructed to let our light — the aspects of our character that are like Jesus — shine for all to see. We should not hide our goodness, forgiveness, kindness, love, joy, peace, patience, and other Christ-like characteristics. He wants us to stand out and be noticed, just like a city on a hill. This brings Him glory and brings us far more life.

A Bible verse I read this week challenges us to let our light shine. I appreciate the directness of this translation:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. (Romans 12:9, NLT)

Shining our light is not just doing the right thing, it is having the right mindset and attitude. It is genuinely loving others, including those who are different from us or hard to love. It starts with seeing their God-given value and continues by putting concern for their well-being into action. This love can take many forms: volunteering for an agency or event that benefits others; giving money to a person or organization in need; giving hands-on help to someone; speaking up on someone’s behalf or in their defense when they are victimized, overlooked, or oppressed; listening to someone who others overlook; praying with and for someone in a hard place; and more. Far more life loves others with our attitudes and actions.

Shining our light also joins God in hating what is wrong while attaching ourselves to what is good. Satan wants us to get stuck on one side or the other and forget that God wants us to do both. We can get stuck hating the darkness and forget that doing good brings light to the situation. We may be tempted to voice our hate for sin, but not actively support the righteous alternative. We may be quick to point out the darkness in others’ lives, but fail to share God’s light so they can find a way out. We might hate people or blame a whole group for the evil of a few people rather than seeing the situation or people’s hearts as God does. We may seek revenge rather than truth, justice, and forgiveness.

We can also get stuck ignoring the darkness and selfishly basking in God’s light. We may be tempted to deny or minimize the depravity of sin and instead focus on puffing up our Bible knowledge. We may shy away from hard situations and respond with Bible verses that only address the surface. We may refuse to get involved in fighting evil, always insisting others are more equipped or prepared. Far more life seeks to hate wrong while holding tightly to the good that overcomes it.

A few verses later, Paul shares another practical — and challenging — idea that restates one of Jesus’ commands:

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. (Romans 12:14, NLT)
…Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44, NASB)

This command is the opposite of our human response, so it must be the brightest light we can shine on injustice! God is glorified when we bless, love, and pray for those who hate us or intentionally harm us. Our enemies can be anyone who opposes the light shining out of us. We bless them by praying for them to experience God’s love and be drawn to His light. There may be practical ways we can show them love, too, but prayer is our most available and powerful option for obeying God in this. Far more life trusts God to use His light for good, even when it shines on our enemies.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:5, NLTSE)

John wrote this about Jesus coming to earth, but the same truth applies to the light shining from us. Our light — God’s presence in our hearts — is secure. No evil, sin, enemy, persecutor, storm or trial or difficulty can extinguish His light in us. Thank you, God, that Your light overcomes any darkness we face and reveals far more life to those around us.

Sisters,
How has God’s light changed your life?
In what situations are you tempted to hide His light?
Is there a person or group that you only pretend to love? What do you need to overcome to really love them?
How do you practically hate wrong while holding tightly to what is good?
Walk confidently in far more life this week as you remember that God’s light in you is secure and eternal!
-Shari

Open Doors

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:17-18, NIV)

These verses can be so hard to live out! When we are wronged, our fleshly response is to retaliate in some way. If not with our actions, then with our words, thoughts, or attitudes. We do not like to think of those responses as evil, but if our motive is not love, God says they are. When we give in to evil desires, we miss out on far more life. I made that mistake this week; I got caught up in defending a perceived wrong by pointing out the offender’s sin in front of others. But instead of feeling better afterwards, I felt worse! That made me realize I had chosen evil over far more life.

Fortunately God tells us how to find far more life in situations where we have been wronged or offended: do what we know is right. We know it is right to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We know it is right to treat others as we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12). We know it is right to forgive (Colossians 3:13). In my situation this week, when I finally decided to do what was right, I first chose to forgive the person who offended me, which changed my heart toward them. Rather than trying to convince them of their wrong, I chose to accept that we had different perspectives and values. This changed my anger to sadness. Then I was able to admit my wrong thoughts and actions, first to myself, then to them. I could feel my heart getting lighter with each step of this process, each choice to pursue far more life.

God takes it a step further: the verse continues, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I appreciate His clear instruction that we are only responsible for our part, and sometimes peace is not possible. I think of it like adjoining hotel rooms; both doors must be open for you to pass freely back and forth. If only one person opens their door, you remain separated. We can open our door to peace by doing what is right, blessing the offender with our words and actions, praying for them, and showing them love. Whether or not they choose to open their door and live in peace with us, we can have a clear conscience about our actions and thoughts. It is sad and uncomfortable to be separated from others, but our open door serves as an ongoing invitation for them to join us in pursuing peace whenever they are ready. God says that is enough. In my situation, I have accepted that the other person and I are not on the same page in life, so the door to many deep conversations is closed right now. I plan to pray all I wish I could say to them in love and trust God with it. I will speak carefully in future conversations unless they directly ask for my input. That is the best way for me to show them love and experience far more life. For now, that is the level of peace we can share.

Why is it important to God that we live in peace with others, especially others who are following Christ?

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3)

Peace brings unity, which is important to God. Merriam-Webster defines unity as oneness or a condition of harmony. God is perfectly united with Jesus and the Holy Spirit; they are one, they live in harmony. And He says this to us, who are created in His image and filled with His Spirit:

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1, NIV)
By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose. (I Corinthians 1:10, GNT)

God wants His children to live in harmony with one another because that is the only way His purpose can be accomplished. If our purpose is to love God and bring Him glory, can we do that if we are divided and arguing? No. In fact, God makes it clear that our love — which grows as we grow in unity — reveals our purpose to everyone:

If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples. (John 13:35, GNT)

This verse always amazes me. It is not our Bible knowledge that shows we are disciples of Jesus. Or the number of Bible studies or church meetings we attend. It is not the good works we do or the causes we support. What communicates our devotion to Jesus is the love we show others, especially other followers of Jesus. Sometimes that love is most evident when we return evil or sin with a blessing. When we do what is right rather than retaliating. When we pursue peace with someone who has offended or sinned against us. When we share our lives and pursue a common purpose. When we choose far more life!

Sisters,
Do you tend to repay evil with evil or with a blessing?
When have you found far more life by choosing to do what is right?
Do you have a relationship that is not at peace? Is your door open and inviting the other person to peace?
How are you living in unity with other followers of Jesus?
Pray and look for opportunities to show love — and choose far more life — today!
-Shari