Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9bDo I really hate what is evil? The Greek word for "hate" means to abhor or to be in horror of. Does evil horrify me? I think I have become desensitized to the horror of evil. It is so prevalent around me I would either have to walk around with blinders on or move to an isolated property in the mountains to escape it. (Okay, the second option wouldn't be so bad:)
Evil is not going to go away until Christ returns and the enemy is forever cast away. So if I am going to be a follower of Jesus Christ and live with Him as my Lord, then I cannot tolerate the things that are contrary to him to exist within me. And the best way to do that is the second half of the sentence -- cling to what is good. I love the Greek for "cling." To glue together, cement, fasten together. I must grab onto what is good and right with all my might like we are stuck together with glue -- or better yet, cement. I want to be so held together with good that it would take a jackhammer to separate us.
So what things am I to cling to? "Good" things are:
- of good constitution or nature
- useful, salutary
- good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy
- excellent, distinguished
- upright, honourable
Lord, open my eyes and transform me.
Thank you Jerolyn!! Such a good reminder to cling to what is good. But I was realizing that as much as we should brainstorm the good things to cling to, we should also brainstorm the evil things to flee from! There are so many things prevalent in our world that we sometimes forget are evil.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't disagree with you, I believe if we are clinging to good things, when we try to cling to evil, the wrong will become stark in contrast to the good. But it is a good idea to analyze if there is anything in our life that is evil that we are gravitating to. The Holy Spirit will guide us through the maze.
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