RISE ABOVE THE AMBUSH OF EVIL

News services know that bad news sells. The worse the news, the greater the viewership, and, of course, the larger the revenue (which in a consumerist society is all that matters). Everywhere, leaders are falling, whether politicians or ministers! Our TVs are simply awash in crime and sex, and every manner of evil. Anyone with half a conscience reels after a while. We get disheartened. We begin to wonder if there’s anyone who seeks God. Anyone?!

Warning! Watch out that the preponderance of iniquity does not cause you to become cynical of all people or skeptical of even the possibility of good motives. Distrust and pessimism are not necessarily virtues of the worldly wise, but they may be signs of faithlessness. It’s one thing to astutely recognize the sins in society, quite another to be controlled by them. Martin Luther, the reformer said, “You cannot prevent the birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair!” This is a call to Christians to prevent evil from building its nest in our hearts.

Scripture Always Trumps Evil

Karl Barth is purported to have said that we should “read the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” The assumption here is that we are to be aware of what is going on in the world, but that we should interpret that knowledge in light of the Bible. That is wise advice.

We cannot prevent most evils from occurring. But we can control how those evils affect our minds. Paul said that he’d learned how to thrive in both good and bad times through faith in Christ (Phil. 4:11-12). Further, he exhorts us to control those things upon which we concentrate. “Whatever is true, . . . honorable, . . . just, . . . pure, . . . lovely, or commendable, . . . think about these things” (Phil. 4:8). He is not commending ignorance or naïveté, but a deliberate bond to God’s superior ways—a coalition with Christ. God has his way in the affairs of mankind. Therefore, we are not to fear man, “who is [only] able to kill the body,” but we are to fear (love and respect) him who is “able to destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matt. 10:28). This objective fact should lead to subjective glee!

God, through Isaiah warns, “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread (Isaiah 8:12). Israel had habitually turned away from theocracy (God-rule) to other nations for help to overcome their enemies. This was conspiracy, which refers not to a mere alliance, but conspiracy with treasonable intent! (See Young, 1:310).

Summary

Two Scriptures offer correction:

Don’t let your good be evil spoken of (Rom. 14:16).

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).

Be alert. Yes. Don’t be naïve. Certainly not. But, by the same token, don’t be tempted to attribute evil motives to every good thing because there are those who have broken trust. Isaiah tells us what we should trust, But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread (Isaiah 8:13). If I may be so cute, we may conclude that while bad news sells; good news thrills! I’ll take the latter. How about you?