"(Samekh) I hate those with divided loyalties,
but I love Your instructions.
You are my refuge and my shield;
Your Word is my source of hope.
Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
LORD, sustain me as You promised, that I may live!
Do not let my hope be crushed.
Sustain me and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on Your decrees.
But You have rejected all who stray from Your decrees.
They are only fooling themselves.
You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum;
no wonder I love to obey Your laws!
I tremble in fear of You;
I stand in awe of Your regulations." (Psalm 119: 113-120)
but I love Your instructions.
You are my refuge and my shield;
Your Word is my source of hope.
Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
LORD, sustain me as You promised, that I may live!
Do not let my hope be crushed.
Sustain me and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on Your decrees.
But You have rejected all who stray from Your decrees.
They are only fooling themselves.
You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum;
no wonder I love to obey Your laws!
I tremble in fear of You;
I stand in awe of Your regulations." (Psalm 119: 113-120)
Dear friend,
Notes from "Samekh": Evil and Good: The author declares his allegiance; in a world of evil, he will cling to the Good. In the midst of despair, he will cling to hope.
Do you hear how violently he speaks? "Get out of my life" and "You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum" set the tone, don't they?
At times we can enjoy ourselves so much that we stop noticing the wickedness that surrounds us. We forget that sin has corrupted this world and its inhabitants. We are blinded to sin in us and around us. We let the sinful, evil influences distort our thinking and our perspective. Wrong becomes right. "I" take precedence over all.
No. How can we affect the darkness if we don't take our light into it? Let's consider what Jesus prayed for His disciples (we're coming in part way through the prayer):
So, how can we live in the world without being corrupted by it?
We hold fast to God's Word. We study, we cling, we trust in the LORD and in His Word. We live as light in a dark world. We do not avoid the world; rather, we seek to influence it.
Yet we cannot do this on our own power. We are too weak. We are too easily corrupted. We are prone to like the darkness.
Notes from "Samekh": Evil and Good: The author declares his allegiance; in a world of evil, he will cling to the Good. In the midst of despair, he will cling to hope.
Do you hear how violently he speaks? "Get out of my life" and "You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum" set the tone, don't they?
At times we can enjoy ourselves so much that we stop noticing the wickedness that surrounds us. We forget that sin has corrupted this world and its inhabitants. We are blinded to sin in us and around us. We let the sinful, evil influences distort our thinking and our perspective. Wrong becomes right. "I" take precedence over all.
Is the solution to the problem of evil simply to remove ourselves from the world and its influences? Should we as believers isolate ourselves from any outside influence?
No. How can we affect the darkness if we don't take our light into it? Let's consider what Jesus prayed for His disciples (we're coming in part way through the prayer):
"During my time here, I protected them by the power of the Name You gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. Now I am coming to You. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with My joy. I have given them Your Word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your Word, which is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give Myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by Your truth." (John 17: 12-19, but the context is chapters 13 through 18, Jesus' last time with His disciples before the crucifixion)
So, how can we live in the world without being corrupted by it?
We hold fast to God's Word. We study, we cling, we trust in the LORD and in His Word. We live as light in a dark world. We do not avoid the world; rather, we seek to influence it.
Yet we cannot do this on our own power. We are too weak. We are too easily corrupted. We are prone to like the darkness.
- How can we keep from falling for the allures of "the world"?
- Should a Christian completely remove himself/herself from any contact with "the world"? Why/Why not?
- If we cannot resist worldly influences on our own power, is there any hope of resisting?
- How/Where can we find help?
- In what ways are we to be a light for the darkness of the world?
Heavenly Father, The world and its influences are many and powerful. Yet You are the All Powerful, Sovereign Lord. Today we again declare our allegiance to You. We cling to Your Word as our source of Truth and Life. Will You reveal Yourself to us through Your Word? Will You enable us by Your Spirit to live in the world without the world living in us?
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