04/17/2020
Genesis 8:21
Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
God made mankind a promise: no matter how wicked he might be, He would never again flood the earth with water. This promise was made with the acknowledgment that “man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Obviously, that hasn’t changed through the ages because it is apparent, we come into this world with evil inclinations. The Psalmist said:
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)
It’s hard to imagine that an innocent newborn could conceive of an evil thought. But anyone who has children knows that they discover that evil inclination quite quickly. We have it and unfortunately, we cultivate it. Only too late do we discover the reward of an evil inclination.
Thankfully the Messiah’s sacrifice has provided us the opportunity to be born again, thus enabling us to overcome the evil inclination within us. According to John 1, we are given the power and ability to be called the children of God if we are willing to receive Messiah into our lives. That ability empowers us to defeat the impulse for evil and instead, do what is right in God’s eyes. Psalm 51 also says:
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.... create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:7, 10)
We are no longer in bo***ge to the evil inclination but have become new creations in Christ. Therefore, let us conduct ourselves accordingly as we look toward the day when this mortal shall put on immortality. Amen.
Perry Stone
