TOPIC: Hate Evil
When we learn to hate evil, we learn to love what God loves.
You may be hesitant to use the word Hate in any situation, but there are times when it is appropriate. As God’s children, we’re to love what He loves and hate what He hates. That’s why verse 10 of today’s passage tells us, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord.”
But many Christians fail to adopt this attitude regularly. Instead, there’s often a tendency to play with evil, keeping it nearby for amusement, and even making excuses for its presence. Some may say, “Well, I can’t escape evil since it’s all around me! So the best I can do is try to manage it appropriately.”
What a deception this is. We can’t manage wickedness. (See Romans 7:19-25.) As soon as we have a single evil thought, we’ve sinned. Psalm 37:27 says, “Turn from evil and do good.” In other words, righteousness requires a complete about-face so we head in the opposite direction from evil.
We live in a world that is permeated by sin, which is impossible to avoid 100 percent of the time. But we can remove ourselves from particularly tempting situations. Ask the Lord today for the wisdom to recognize sinful traps and the strength to do what’s right.
Bible in One Year: 1 Chronicles 19-21
