A Thought From the Word

“Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.” Proverbs 14:22

The sinful heart really is corrupt. As this verse states, sinners come up with ways to do evil. Since the fallen human heart, mind and will is not dedicated to delighting in God, it delights in ways that please self and even harm others. When you were a child, were you really good at disobeying your parents, and then quickly crafting a way to hide your sin? The human mind, at child and adult level, can be quite skillful at sinful creativity.

But, where sin abounds, grace much more abounds! When God saves a sinner, He transforms the soul. God's aim is to sanctify the mind, will, heart and even the creativity for His own glory. There is blessing pronounced in this verse on those who devise good. This is the heart that wants to please God so much that there is deliberate thought and planning put into specific ways to honor God and bless others. What might this look like?

It looks like someone who is hungry for God's word thinking about what Scriptures to dedicate to memory, and a plan to actually do it. It is a wife crafting ways to show love and honor to her husband, while at the same time the husband is making a list of things he can do that will bless his wife. It looks like someone praying for unbelieving friends, and thinking of practical ways to interact with them, with a view to sharing the good news of Christ. It looks like the church member who is making conscious effort to show interest in someone else at church in order to encourage them in the Lord.