GOD'S NOT KIDDING

I spent many years working as a chaplain in a large county jail.  One day I was speaking to an inmate who was discouraged and disturbed.  His children had been cared for by his parents.  But, recently, his children had been disceptively taken by his mother in law who is a drug abuser and lives with a known drug dealer.  His children were not with their mother because he had an affair with a woman at work which resulted in a fight and separation.  He thought it would be best for his parents to care for them.

He said, "I don't understand why God is doing this to me?".  I responded, "TIME OUT.  Are you saying God is guilty of adultry, kidnapping, drug abuse, and drug dealing?  You are the one who couldn't keep your pants on.  You're the one who violated the marriage covenant.  It was your mother in law who lied to your parents saying, 'I'll just keep them for the afternoon.'  She's the one who chose to play sniff and snort with Dr. Coke.  Where do you get off blaming God for such deeds?"

What he does not understand is that God loves righteousness and hates sin.  He really hates sin. Proverbs 15:9 says, "The Lord detests the way of the wicked but He loves those who pursue righteousness."  Dozens of Bible verses confirm this truth.  Yet we hear people describing some evil act done by one person to others and then saying, "How could God do that?" or "How could God allow that?"  That is assuming God is committing that which He hates or, at least, being a co-conspirator to it.  That's impossible.  He is holy.  He has no part in sin.

Why does God love righteousness and hate evil?  Because He loves us.  He cares for us and wants the best for us.  He knows righteousness has positive natural consequences for us and evil has negative natural consequences.  He also knows those consequences often result in fallout on those the innocent.  Sin is insidious.  The Bible is clear.  We are to love what God loves and hate what God hates.  Romans 12:9 says, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."  Commit that verse to memory and you will save yourself much grief.  Society will not agree with you, but you will prosper in the long run.