Tag Archives: evil

Appearance

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A couple days ago I was walking through the house and I saw a “fuzzy” on the floor.  I kicked it with my foot to move it out of the way.  It is so far down to pick it up off the floor.  The floor gets farther and farther away each year.

When I kicked at this “fuzzy” it ran away.  I ran and got a facial tissue and squished it and then sent it off to a watery grave at the waste water treatment plant.

I started thinking about this little “fuzzy” creature.  It is like so many people.  We hide in social media.  We hide in books.  We hide in food.  We hide in drugs and alcohol.  You name it and people try to hide in it.  It is like the rearview mirror on your vehicle.  Objects do not appear as they really are.

Look at II Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”  If we are God’s child then we should want to keep away from things that do not appear what they really are.  I have a friend that told of a bar in his college days that had a name that sounded like a candy store if I remember correctly.

So, if we are going to be God’s kind of people then we are going to have to be what we appear to be.  We must be in public what we are in private.  We must be in private what we are in public.  We must be consistent Christians that follow Christ.So, how are you doing?

Evildoer Beware

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When you think about Esther I am guessing you think about the words of her uncle Mordecai.  You know the line that she has been prepared “for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)

As I began to ponder this I thought about how Esther’s life probably did not follow the path she had picked out.  Many; if not all of us, experience this.  We would not pick the tough things of life if given the choice.

Here is the thing.  It is the tough things of life that mold us and make us into what God desires us to be.  We may not like what we have to endure to get there.  Yet, when we get there the rewards are unfathomable.

On the other side of the coin are those who plot and plan against us.  The enemy so to speak.  God can; and often does, thwart their plans.  Thinking about the account of Esther I was reminded about how Haman tried to get Mordecai and the Jews killed.  The results were found in Esther 7:10, “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.”  Hang on because God is still in control.  He always will be too.

So, how are you doing?

Serve

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For twenty years I served in public service.  I don’t regret it much.  The only regret I have is that I did not leave public service sooner to go full-time in the ministry.

The other day I saw a video on a social networking site that was a four year old boy who called 911.  This caught my attention because of my background as a former child and a former dispatcher, etc…  Watch the video here.  

This dispatcher could have had a bad day or several “tough calls” in a row; but, he still showed professionalism in handling this young heart.  My hat is off to him for this.  We make choices in how we respond to everything.  When the enemy of our soul tempts us we make a decision whether we are going to give in or resist.  Resistance here is the best option.  It is not a sin to be tempted.  Sin come in when we yield to the solicitation to do wrong.

God’s very people struggled with who they yielded to quite often.  Remember what Joshua told them?  Here it is in Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  Today you will choose who you will serve.  Who will it be?

So, how are you doing?