The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. ~Proverbs 28:1
Jesus said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ~John 8:7-10
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more. Though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright. There is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed. The future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. He is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” ~Psalm 37:35-40
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ~1 Corinthians 15:58
If you had a choice, which would you rather climb, a solid staircase or a hill of sand? I think that most of us would prefer the solid staircase. Why? Because it is solid. It is a better guarantee of a sure footing. A hill of sand is slippery, not to mention the sand that can get into your shoes plus the sand that the wind can blow in your face. You may have experienced this at Sleeping Bear Dunes. There is adventure in sand. But there is security on the stairs. That is the huge difference between the foundation that the wicked are standing on and the righteous.
Jesus himself referred to this comparison in the sermon on the Mount when He compared building a house on a solid rock, or on sand, and stating which one would remain standing after the storm has passed. Sand is fun, but it shifts and is not secure.
“The wicked flee though no one pursues.” It may not look that way to us. The wicked are loud and imposing. We are intimidated by their bravado. We need to remember their feet. They are standing on the shifting sands of their desires and opinions that are sure to change over time. “I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more. Though I looked for him, he could not be found.” Where did he go? He slipped because his roots were not anchored in rock. In the longer view, those who stand on the rock will be in Heaven. The wicked will not be found there.
What we must remember is that the wicked are easily intimidated by the truth. They will flee because that is better than being found out. Jesus knew this. He proved it when the woman was brought to Him because she had been caught in the sin of adultery. We don’t know all that Jesus knew. But the accusers certainly did leave. By leaving they confessed that they were also sinners. But rather than bring it to the light and receive forgiveness as the woman would, they all walked away, back into the darkness. Maybe they didn’t know Jesus was going to forgive her, but if they had hung around, they would have known. The light always dispels the darkness. It happens naturally and without effort.
The wicked are the only ones deceived into believing that they can hide. We give them too much power when we cave in and share the belief that they will get away with it. God is truth and God’s truth will always rise to the surface because He is God and it has to. As I write this, I know that, in the seen world this is hard to believe. The lies from the evil one are so hard to ignore and it seems as though the wicked are winning.
Remember, however, that God holds the other end of satan’s chain. The father of lies himself is not on solid ground. He believes that he can still win and that’s why he fights so hard, but the cross and the empty tomb have proved otherwise. The solid rock of Christ, that is our foundation, cannot be moved no matter how many lies and deceitful tricks satan uses to try to prove otherwise.
We are in a spiritual battle that is purging the church to make her stronger for the battle that is coming. Consider the blameless, observe the upright. There is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed. The future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. He is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” Therein lies our hope.
Kathy and I have often called Psalm 37, “The Du Bois Psalm,” because it is so often our go to Psalm when we need to be reminded of these truths, that the wicked will not prevail in the end and that God keeps His eye on His own. There was one time, when we were facing some pretty significant challenges, that Kathy read this Psalm every day for over six months to keep from being overwhelmed with discouragement.
Sometimes, it takes real discipline to keep standing on His solid rock: “But the righteous are as bold as a lion.” You may not feel very bold, but if the need arises, in Christ, you can be. It isn’t easy, and be sure, the world will not reward you for it. Only in Christ’s strength can we do this, but He has promised that He will not leave us. He is our solid rock. Our footing is sure. Don’t let satan’s lies tell you otherwise. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Prayer: Jesus, my Rock! Thank You for forgiveness. I will put on the armor of God every day and boldly take my stand against the devil’s schemes. I will also boldly proclaim the gospel that has saved me, to others who may be saved if I give myself fully to the work of the Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Confidence
Jesus said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ~John 8:7-10
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more. Though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright. There is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed. The future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. He is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” ~Psalm 37:35-40
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ~1 Corinthians 15:58
If you had a choice, which would you rather climb, a solid staircase or a hill of sand? I think that most of us would prefer the solid staircase. Why? Because it is solid. It is a better guarantee of a sure footing. A hill of sand is slippery, not to mention the sand that can get into your shoes plus the sand that the wind can blow in your face. You may have experienced this at Sleeping Bear Dunes. There is adventure in sand. But there is security on the stairs. That is the huge difference between the foundation that the wicked are standing on and the righteous.
Jesus himself referred to this comparison in the sermon on the Mount when He compared building a house on a solid rock, or on sand, and stating which one would remain standing after the storm has passed. Sand is fun, but it shifts and is not secure.
“The wicked flee though no one pursues.” It may not look that way to us. The wicked are loud and imposing. We are intimidated by their bravado. We need to remember their feet. They are standing on the shifting sands of their desires and opinions that are sure to change over time. “I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more. Though I looked for him, he could not be found.” Where did he go? He slipped because his roots were not anchored in rock. In the longer view, those who stand on the rock will be in Heaven. The wicked will not be found there.
What we must remember is that the wicked are easily intimidated by the truth. They will flee because that is better than being found out. Jesus knew this. He proved it when the woman was brought to Him because she had been caught in the sin of adultery. We don’t know all that Jesus knew. But the accusers certainly did leave. By leaving they confessed that they were also sinners. But rather than bring it to the light and receive forgiveness as the woman would, they all walked away, back into the darkness. Maybe they didn’t know Jesus was going to forgive her, but if they had hung around, they would have known. The light always dispels the darkness. It happens naturally and without effort.
The wicked are the only ones deceived into believing that they can hide. We give them too much power when we cave in and share the belief that they will get away with it. God is truth and God’s truth will always rise to the surface because He is God and it has to. As I write this, I know that, in the seen world this is hard to believe. The lies from the evil one are so hard to ignore and it seems as though the wicked are winning.
Remember, however, that God holds the other end of satan’s chain. The father of lies himself is not on solid ground. He believes that he can still win and that’s why he fights so hard, but the cross and the empty tomb have proved otherwise. The solid rock of Christ, that is our foundation, cannot be moved no matter how many lies and deceitful tricks satan uses to try to prove otherwise.
We are in a spiritual battle that is purging the church to make her stronger for the battle that is coming. Consider the blameless, observe the upright. There is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed. The future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. He is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” Therein lies our hope.
Kathy and I have often called Psalm 37, “The Du Bois Psalm,” because it is so often our go to Psalm when we need to be reminded of these truths, that the wicked will not prevail in the end and that God keeps His eye on His own. There was one time, when we were facing some pretty significant challenges, that Kathy read this Psalm every day for over six months to keep from being overwhelmed with discouragement.
Sometimes, it takes real discipline to keep standing on His solid rock: “But the righteous are as bold as a lion.” You may not feel very bold, but if the need arises, in Christ, you can be. It isn’t easy, and be sure, the world will not reward you for it. Only in Christ’s strength can we do this, but He has promised that He will not leave us. He is our solid rock. Our footing is sure. Don’t let satan’s lies tell you otherwise. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Prayer: Jesus, my Rock! Thank You for forgiveness. I will put on the armor of God every day and boldly take my stand against the devil’s schemes. I will also boldly proclaim the gospel that has saved me, to others who may be saved if I give myself fully to the work of the Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Confidence
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