2024-10-04

Appearance of Evil

It’s not enough to “do the right thing” - it’s also important to make sure you avoid even the appearance of evil. For instance, the person you’ve been giving Bible studies to happens to drive by just at the very moment you are coming out of a tavern - they probably will judge you as a hypocrite and you may never know why they suddenly stopped the studies. And you may also never have the chance to tell them that you had just gone in to use the restroom. If you’re a single girl traveling cross-country with a couple of your guy friends, you may be completely innocent, staying in separate hotel rooms, but there will be those who will think you’re less than pure. The Bible says in Romans 14:13, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” God wants you to live your life as a living example of Christ abiding in you. To do that, you need to be conscious of how others will see you and strive for all your actions to reflect Jesus. You can’t win others to Christ if you are not living a righteous life yourself. In other words, you need to not only ‘talk the talk,’ but ‘walk the walk!’ For example, instead of having lunch at a quiet restaurant alone with your best friend’s spouse so you can plan their birthday surprise, choose to have it at a mutual friend’s house and invite others to join the planning party. In all cases, avoid appearances of evil and choose to be a living witness for Christ in all that you do and say! Text: 1 John 2:10, 1 Corinthians 8:9, Malachi 2:8, Matthew 16:23, Luke 11:52 © Brenda Walsh Ministries https://brendawalsh.com/