Bringing Evil Upon Themselves

Have you ever met someone who seemed to always find bad luck? This is the type of person who seems to have a knack for always getting into trouble. If there is a way to get into trouble, this person will figure it out. When you scratch just below the surface, you’ll discover the root problem. It is sin.

However, the sin that is self-inflicted is usually avoidable. Worse yet, this person’s sin is often worn as a badge of honor. I used to have many of those badges. I was the type of person who could party with the best of them, doing immoral things and relishing in them. Mankind has been doing this for some time:

    “The look on their countenance witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.” (Isaiah 3:9)

The New International Version actually does a good job of translating the Hebrew, rendering it:

    “The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.”

The Apostle Paul taught the Romans that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The amount of loss because of sinful living is incalculable. Sin never profits even though it presents itself often as practical or pragmatic. Therein lies the great evil and destruction that sins brings:

    “No grave trouble will overtake the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil.” (Proverbs 12:21)

That verse alone should make most people scared straight, and yet people—Christians included—continue sowing sinfulness and reaping evil. More disturbing is their (mine included) disbelief when calamity hits. Friend, if you continue pouring hot coals onto your lap, eventually you’re going to get burned.

The Bible is filled with warnings against living a sinful life. The destruction it brings is undeniable and the alternative is indisputable. A righteous life will thwart off the self-inflicted trouble in which people find themselves.

    “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” (Proverbs 11:3)

Dear friend, are you on the path of sinful living? You know you need a change and you know that change has to come now. You need to change direction; that means you need to repent of your current lifestyle:

    “As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.” (Proverbs 11:19)

That could not be any clearer. You need to take a close look with whom you associate. A change of scenery will bring an immediate change to your life. The quickest change you can make is with whom you hang out.

    “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)

This past weekend we had our annual men’s retreat and the truth of Proverbs 13:20 was reinforced a hundredfold. The gathering of sixty men, of all ages and walks of life, testified to the benefits of living a holy and righteous life.

So what does your life look like today? Is it filled with nothing but evil and disaster? If yes, then it is time to make a change.

If you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, then do so right now. Admit you are a sinner, that you need Christ as your savior, and that whoever calls on the Lord Jesus and obey Him will be saved.

Believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. You know He is whom the Bible claims Him to be.

Confess to Jesus and admit to yourself that as a believer you have a new life and a new responsibility to live righteously. That means repenting, turning from your old lifestyle and embracing the new.

Becoming a new Christian means you will no longer be bringing evil upon yourself. I can’t think of a better way living life.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2014 David Jeffers

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