Eric's Beijing Diary

DAY THREE

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil." (Proverbs 8:13)

Sitting here in the canyon soaking in the heat of the morning sun. It's so beautiful! Yet, with all this morning comes the realization that we do still live in a world of sin. Injustice, greed, power, lust and malice. What is the response of a godly person to a world so full of iniquity? Our first response to evil must be to hate it. But in truth, it is actually our response to God before it is our response to evil itself. We hate evil because we fear God. Families, communities, and entire societies begin to crumble when people lose their contempt for evil. What is the defining characteristic of the man who has turned from God? "He abhorreth not evil." (Psalm 36:4) This is the crisis of modern society--we find evil distasteful, but we do not abhor it. Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing."

"Father, give me a contempt for evil that transcends mere disdain for wrong doing. Lord I pray that I might be consumed by a passion for righteousness. It is a difficult thing, sometimes, Lord, because different people have different views of what constitutes righteousness. But I don't want to live by the expectations of others. I want to live my life to please you. To hate what you hate. To be vexed by the things that do violence to your holy will and purpose. "My soul is consumed with longing for your ordinances at all times." (Psalm 119:20) Lord if that is not always true of me, I really want it to be. Let me live my life so that those words are a true description of my heart toward you."