Today’s thought
“Stormy winds fulfilling his word”
(February 2)
Evil threatens to overcome the world. Evil has always been present, sometimes violently so such as in the days of my youth when Adolf Hitler was in power. Massive force was used to overcome the evil he created. But Paul wrote,
“Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
How do you overcome evil with good?
Paul’s message is about our personal response to evil, especially evil individuals. If we respond to anger with anger you know what can happen! In the book of Proverbs Solomon has given powerful advice.
“A soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1)
and
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offences. On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found … the wise lay up knowledge” (Proverbs 10:12-14).
Some of Christ’s parables were developed from sayings in the Proverbs. Truly, God’s word is the real source of knowing how to be good and wise in overcoming evil. The message of Christ and his followers is for individuals; it was never for nations; there never has been a ‘christian’ nation. Paul wrote,
“as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all … never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19).
Australia with all its blessings of prosperity has been called the “lucky country”, but it has become more and more godless. In nature, sometimes violent experiencing fires, winds, storms and flooding.
The Psalms tell us,
“frost and hail, snow and mist, stormy winds fulfilling his word” (Psalm 148:8).
Other countries in the world are suffering very extreme weather conditions.
We are reading in Exodus of the Lord’s control over the elements of nature that confounded the Egyptians. The real God of the Hebrews confounded the Gods of Egyptian imagination. And today? Man is learning the hard way – that it is perilous to ignore God. Let us not learn the hard way!
+
Preceding
Today’s thought “A Perfect World” (January 02)
The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #5 Temptation, assault and curse
++
Additional reading
- The Existence of Evil
- Epicurus’ Problem of Evil
- Evil Never Ceases
- Does God stands behind all evil on earth
- Why God permits evil
- I Can’t Believe That (1) … God would send anyone to hell
- I Can’t Believe That … (2) God would allow children to suffer
- A look at the Failing man
- Evil in this world not bringing us down
- Thought for today: Slow To Wrath
- Facing our existence every day
- Careful not to fuel the anger in this world
- Careful not to have God’s wrath poured out upon us taking on the right attitude
- The Mountain: Radical Love
- ‘I try to keep my hate in check. If you can’t hate, you can’t love.’
- Why are we killing?
- Matthew 6:1-34 – The Nazarene’s Commentary on Leviticus 19:18 Continued 2 Prayer and neighbour love
- Displeasures and Actions of the Almighty God
- Christendom Astray The Devil Not A Personal Super-Natural Being
- When having taken a new direction in life, having become a Christian
- The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
- Angry but not sinning
- Be ye angry and sin not
- A love not exempting us from trials
- The business of this life
- Satan the evil within
- Unconditional love
- Be holy
- Malefactors becoming your master
- She who sows thistles will reap prickles
- He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger
- The World framed by the Word of God
[…] Today’s thought “Stormy winds fulfilling his word” (February 2) […]
LikeLike