Kept from evil
August 11, 2011
The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus prays for his disciples; John 17:1-26
MKJV: John 17:15. I do not pray for You to take them out of the world, but for You to keep them from the evil.
I read this and I wonder, why, if evil is not allowed to happen to me, why does it? Recently diagnosed with a cancer, I asked God why did this happen. I asked Him about all the other events in my life that have happened, why if I am to be kept from evil, did these happen. As He sometimes does, when I ask questions of God, there is a profound silence. In those times I have learned to be still. Eventually, everything will become clear as I put myself in situations to hear from God, though it may take some time.
A few days later it hit me why evil happens to me. God says that I will be kept from evil, but that does not mean that I cannot walk to it of my own free will. The problems that I have in my life are a direct result of choices that I have made over the years. In many of those situations, I was moving away from God, moving towards evil.
Even in my daily walk today, do I want to take the time to write my personal thoughts on scripture, or do I want to play one more game on Facebook? one more TV program? Anything that I do to avoid time in fellowship with God results in me moving away from Him and towards evil, and when I do, then I can not say to God, ‘why did you not keep me from evil’?
Read for next time: The fellowship enters Gethsemane; Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32; Luke 22:39-40; John 18:1
The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus prays for his disciples; John 17:1-26
MKJV: John 17:15. I do not pray for You to take them out of the world, but for You to keep them from the evil.
I read this and I wonder, why, if evil is not allowed to happen to me, why does it? Recently diagnosed with a cancer, I asked God why did this happen. I asked Him about all the other events in my life that have happened, why if I am to be kept from evil, did these happen. As He sometimes does, when I ask questions of God, there is a profound silence. In those times I have learned to be still. Eventually, everything will become clear as I put myself in situations to hear from God, though it may take some time.
A few days later it hit me why evil happens to me. God says that I will be kept from evil, but that does not mean that I cannot walk to it of my own free will. The problems that I have in my life are a direct result of choices that I have made over the years. In many of those situations, I was moving away from God, moving towards evil.
Even in my daily walk today, do I want to take the time to write my personal thoughts on scripture, or do I want to play one more game on Facebook? one more TV program? Anything that I do to avoid time in fellowship with God results in me moving away from Him and towards evil, and when I do, then I can not say to God, ‘why did you not keep me from evil’?
Read for next time: The fellowship enters Gethsemane; Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32; Luke 22:39-40; John 18:1
