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Day 262 Proverbs 24:15 Proverbs 24:15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: 16 For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. 17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falls, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbles: 18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. 19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; 20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. You do not need to look far to find evil in the world. It’s a stone’s throw away from our doorstep. The news isn’t the only place you will find accounts of bad things happening in the world. Your neighborhood is full of people who are bent on mischief. Gone are the days when neighbors looked after each other and took care of each other’s belongings when people went on vacation. Gone are the days when a person could leave their doors unlocked, the key in the ignition of their car, or sit on their front porch without worrying about what they would find going on with their neighbors. Evil is everywhere. Solomon reminds us that though evil is everywhere, we are not to rejoice at the punishment of the wicked, else God will punish us instead. Jesus told us we are to pray for our enemies and those who despitefully use us. Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. God will deal with wicked people. We are not to gloat about their punishment, or take matters into our own hands, but we are to pray for our accusers. We are to be kind and show the love of God to all those we encounter. You never know when your act of kindness will turn a person’s heart to do good instead of evil. God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance. Therefore, your job is to pray for not condemn. It isn’t an easy thing to do because everyone wants to see justice done to those who hurt, harmed, killed, and destroyed their lives. However, if you act like they do, what does that say about you? Your attitude will be no better than the wicked and evil person. Jesus could have condemned all those who took part in his crucifixion. Instead, he forgave them. He gave everyone an opportunity to change their lives, but only one person did while he hung on the cross. Only one person was granted he would be in Paradise with Jesus that same day. Only one person repented and saw salvation. Everyone else gloated over the death of Jesus, and waited with longing anticipation for his death and hurried to seal his tomb so his message of salvation would be snuffed out. Only it wasn’t snuffed out. Jesus rose victorious over death and guaranteed salvation to everyone who came to him in true repentance. If Jesus can love those who nailed him to a cross, hurled insults at him, forgive them of all wrong-doing, shouldn’t you do the same? Shouldn’t you forgive, pray for, and want to see God take care of wicked and evil people? After all, God said vengeance belonged to him, not us. Deuteronomy 32:35 To me belongs vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. The next time you see someone doing harm to another, call the authorities and let God take care of the situation. Your job is to pray for that person. Let’s pray: Father, help me forgive those who wrong me and try to harm me. Help me turn over those who come against me to you to deal with as you see fit, not as I see fit. Give me your love and compassion for everyone I encounter, no matter how they treat me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 29 May 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay