Psalm 97:10 (NIV)
10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards
the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
The Lord despises the evil that fills the hearts of
people. He therefore decrees that those who love Him should stay away from evil
and God himself will deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
We often hear someone say: "Well, I'm not very
religious, but I'm a good person and that is what is most important." But
is that true? Imagine a woman, a poor widow with an only son. She teaches him
how she wants him to live, to always tell the truth, to work hard and to help
the poor.
She makes very little money, but with her meager savings
she is able to put him through college. Imagine that when he graduates, he
hardly even speaks to her again. He occasionally sends a Christmas card, but he
doesn't visit her, he won't even answer her phone calls or letters; he doesn't
speak to her. But he lives just like she taught him—honestly, industriously,
and charitably.
Would you say this was acceptable? Of course not.
Wouldn't we say by living a "good life" but neglecting a relationship
with the one to whom he owed everything he was doing something commendable?
In the same way, God created us and we owe him everything
and we do not live for him but we "live a good life" it is not
enough. We all owe a debt that must be paid.
[Timothy Keller, Shaped by the Gospel: Doing Balanced,
Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (Zondervan, 2016), page 3; Submitted by
Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky]
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