Monday, February 26, 2018

February 27, 2018

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

There is a good reason that the writer of Romans admonishes you not to allow yourself to be overcome with evil. Here are three of them:

Lucifer was overcome by evil and lost his exalted place in Heaven:

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14

Ever since he became evil he has spread evil like a plague and is totally dedicated to overwhelming the world with evil:

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:4-6

Once sin spread to the human race, Adam and Eve, the first parents contaminated the human nature with evil. Since then every person who has ever been born has been overcome by evil. You were born evil. I was born evil. It is our default position. Unless something dramatic is done, all of humanity will be hopelessly overcome by evil.

God sent Jesus, His Perfect Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin - without a sinful nature! That enabled Him to become the sacrifice to bear the penalty for our sins. He Who was Holy absorbed our evil and became evil for us:

"Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. " Matthew 27:27-31

These three portraits of evil remind us of how hideous it is. They remind us of how powerful it is. So powerful is it that only God Himself can overcome it. What makes you think you can mess with it and get away with it?

Only the Second Adam could overcome the evil created by the first Adam. He is your only hope to be an overcomer!





February 26, 2018

When you want to express the inexpressible, look to a poet. It doesn’t take you long to run out of adjectives when you begin trying to describe the amazing infinite love of God. Nearly 100 years ago, a gentleman by the name of Frederick Martin Lehman penned this poem that was later put to music in a hymn called appropriately – “The Love of God”.

I think he captures it pretty well! See what you think.


The love of God is greater far, Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.


O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure  The saints' and angels' song.


When age and time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call;
God's love, so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race — The saints' and angels' song.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure  The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;


To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry;


Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure  The saints' and angels' song.

WOW! What a CRAZY love!