30 Day Cleanse - Day 12

Scripture

"A man will not be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will not be moved." --Proverbs 12:3

Observe

No one can stand firm in evil, but the righteous have deep roots that cannot be shaken.

Evil = Nothing

Evil is a shallow thing.

Evil is the opposite of good. We associate the word evil with anything negative, immoral, wicked, or depraved. In the Bible, evil is carried out by Satan and his minions (demons).

Evil, however, is much like darkness.

Darkness is not a substance. It cannot be held, nor measured. It is not comprised of "darkness atoms", nor does it contain energy. It is has neither volume, nor mass. It cannot be captured, nor contained.

Darkness is not anything, except the absence of light.

Similarly, evil is not a substance. It is the absence of God.

And actions that are evil are simply actions that take place without God in them.

God is the creator of everything. It says in John 1:3 "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."

So, think about the people who try to build their lives on evil.

It would be like trying to construct a Lego tower on a shadow of a table. Without the table itself, the entire Lego structure would fall.

Likewise, people who try to found their life on wickedness--the lack of God--end up falling to pieces.

Building on God

In contrast, the righteous have deep roots in God that cannot be shaken.

How do the righteous become so deeply rooted?

1. Getting into God's Word.
   "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers." --Psalm 1:1-3
2. Living out God's Word.
   "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock." --Matthew 7:24-25
3. God's Word in us:  Jesus.
   "So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord." --Ephesians 2:19-21

Apply

Every day we're alive, we have an opportunity to build our lives on God--through reading the Word, living the Word (walking it out), and getting to know Jesus better.

At the same time, each day is filled with teeny tiny pivotal decisions--like whether or not to honor God with our words or how we treat someone.

My prayer for all of us is best stated through our Bible Memory Verse:  May the words of our mouths, and the meditations of our hearts, be pleasing in God's sight. HE is our Rock and our Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Pray

God, we recognize that nothing in this world would exist without You. You have made all of creation--including us--and we'd be foolish to try to live without You. We have so many big and small decisions to make every day. Help us to get closer to you, so everything we say and do will be built on the strongest foundation:  You. We want to honor you. Amen.

Your Turn!!!