Greetings! BlogFam, I deeply feel that this blog post could be three words... STOP DOING EVIL! [Isaiah 1:16c] And even as I write, I am reminded of the episode of the Cosby Show when Rudy Huxtable wrote a story that included all of these different characters who were portrayed by her family and friends. There was so much foolishness going on that her character did not like and she finally told them all to just STOP IT! And that was the end of the story... Just STOP IT!!! Friends, do you fully realize that the Almighty God could do just that? I mean, God is God and if God spoke those same words today to address all of the hatred and evil and violence and injustice and gossip and backbiting and racism and abuse and every other social ill of today, ALL of it would just STOP! God is ALL powerful and that is definitely possible. So, why doesn't God just say STOP IT? Why doesn't God just speak those words like Rudy did in her fairy tale and have everything that was wrong to be made right? Why doesn't God just open God's mouth and put an end to evil all over this world? These are not new questions. People have been asking these very same questions probably from the beginning of time. So, I am not alone and you are not alone in our wondering about God's silence and God stifling God's own power to make it all just STOP with one word. And on this day, as I ask and reflect on my own questions, I cannot completely comprehend my own answer. I can only say that in God's infinite wisdom and grace, God allows evil to persist. I also believe that in God's incomprehensible love and mercy, God chooses to extend those gifts to everyone until we all choose to receive them. And furthermore, I am thinking that on a very practical level, if God said STOP IT, no life would be spared. The truth is, God knows all of God's creation intimately and even the holiest and saintliest of people in this world sin and come short of the glory of God. And part of me thinks that if God were to say STOP IT, life, not just life as we know it, but LIFE in and of itself, would cease to exist. Therefore, God chooses to wait on God's very best creation to love God and love neighbor and in doing so, the prophetic utterance of Isaiah to STOP DOING EVIL would be manifested around the world. What do you think? I know that my answer falls short but I do think that my answer also gives us a starting place for addressing the evil we see in this world. So, BlogFam, I pray that YOU would choose to receive the love and mercy of God. I pray that YOU would obey God's greatest command to LOVE God and neighbor. I pray that YOU would STOP DOING EVIL in your own free will. I pray that YOU would let your light so shine that others will see your good works and give God glory. I pray that YOU would lift up the name of Jesus in your life and that others will be drawn unto Him. And I pray all the same for me too... GOD LOVES YOU and I DO TOO! Blessings, Glory, and Sunshine! Delesslyn |