Wicked Versus Righteous

What the wicked dreads will overtake him;what the righteous desire will be granted.When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,but the righteous stand firm forever.

Proverbs 10:24-25 (NIV)

“What the wicked dread.” Isn’t that an intriguing phrase? What then do the wicked dread? Think about it. When you lie or steal something, there is that constant dread of someone finding out. If you say something mean about someone, what if they hear about it? What if you get a bad reputation for being mean?

Dread. It is like a big ol’ black cloud of darkness, a fear that that thing you did will come back to haunt you. Isn’t that the way of sin? You think it will add pleasure, but instead it rips you off. It does, it really does.

In contrast, living right, doing right, has its own sweet rewards. I love that our proverb tells us that doing right gives us stability. The definition of stable is “constant, able to maintain or return to a strong position, not likely to fall.” Stability. “The righteous stand firm forever.”

Let’s let Jesus give us a clear picture. He said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25, NIV).

Now that, my sisters, is standing strong even in shaky times!

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Talk is cheap. It is time for us “to walk the walk.” As Jesus explained, we must hear God’s Word and then put it into practice. For example, James 1:27 gives a clear directive: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (NKJV). How can we apply this? Ask the Lord to show you. He might prompt you to buy some school supplies for a single mom’s kids, or take them to youth group, or just look for them in the hall at church and give them a word of encouragement. Righteous living is doing right things.

One Year Bible Reading

Numbers 2:1–3:51; Mark 11:27–12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25