Day 139: Tempting the Evil

Romans 9:30-10:21; 1 Samuel 19; Psalm 64

Romans seems to be mostly about being saved:  who is saved, who is offered salvation, what salvation means, what it does not mean, and how people respond to such a message.  These chapters sort of get on to the Israelites and Jews for not believing in Jesus or trusting God.  Paul says that all it takes to receive salvation is honestly confessing that Jesus is Lord.  We don't have to do or perform anything.  He also talks about who Jesus came to save:  he was meant to save everyone, especially fulfilling the promises for the Israelites, but they are stubborn, so Jesus is for everyone else.  Because Jesus didn't fit the mould that the Jews were expecting, many won't put their faith in him as God's son.  Not good!  Jesus fulfills all of the Old Testament prophecies and came and accomplished what God said he would do, it just took a more eternal form.

Jonathan is an example of an awesome friend and a wise child.  He is bold enough to come before the king, his father, and point out his wrongdoing.  There have been some times in life when my parents needed wisdom and myself or my brother were able to provide it.  Once children become adults, it is important for parents to respect their children and for the children to speak truth with wisdom.

Saul goes back on his word to not try and kill David.  What I don't exactly understand are the few occurences of "an evil spirit from The Lord" took hold of Saul and caused him to respond angrily.  Did God simply allow an evil spirit?  Was the "evil spirit" really that or is it something else?  I looked it up and this website gives a lot of information on it:  http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=1278
What I DO know is that Saul was tempting the evil spirit by holding a spear.  He wasn't an idiot (or maybe he was) and knew that he had anger issues.  By holding a spear, he was giving himself the opportunity to think about, dwell on, and act out his sinful anger against David.  If he had been holding a cup of coffee, some sweet tea, maybe a royal kitten, he would not have been encouraging the same kind of thoughts. That kind of thing still applies to us.  Do you struggle with overeating?  Then stop buying junk food.  Do you struggle with overspending?  Then get rid of credit cards.  Do you struggle with insecurities?  Then stop hanging out with people that make you insecure.  Do you struggle with substance abuse?  Then don't go where you know those substances will be.  We need to stop viewing ourselves as victims and realize we have a choice in our sin--we don't have to!

This psalm talks about people plotting evil things against us. Trust in The Lord to be the one who destroys them and their plots.  It is our job to worship God, offer our prayers, and love those around us, good and bad.  God is just, and simply because evil people get ahead now, for a short time, doesn't mean God isn't paying attention.  Trust in The Lord.