IT DOES NOT PAY TO BE WICKED

MEMORY VERSE: with the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright, Psalm 18:25.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 25, Ps 116, Isa 52, Rev 22

What is wickedness? Wickedness is a spirit. So also Goodness is a spirit. Psalm 23:6a says goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. ‘Goodness’ and ‘Mercy’ referred to are angels of the Lord. Anywhere you are in the world reading this message, I want to inform you that these two angels are standing right behind you. They will be there as far as you do not rebel against God. The difference between these two is that wickedness is of devil and goodness is of God. This is why we call the devil a wicked devil and God – a good God.

Luke 6:31 says as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Wickedness is simply doing things you would not want others to do to you. It is wickedness to delay the salary of your staff on purpose. How would you feel if an employer refuses to pay your son or daughter for no good reason? It is wickedness to give what belongs to A to B. An employment opportunity comes along, you know Mr A has the necessary qualification and experience but you give it to Mr B because he is the same color as you or because he is your friend or family member. Please put yourself in the shoe of Mr A, would you be happy if someone does that to you? You borrow money from a friend or a colleague, instead of appealing for more time to pay back you begin to hide or ignore their calls. The question is would you like someone to do that to you?

It is wickedness not to forgive. The person may have hurt you and all that, but haven’t you done worse to God? Psalm 130:3 says if thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? If the Lord were to mark iniquities, the world would not exist again.Do not abuse that brother or sister because he or she is vulnerable. There was a particular abusive senior in High School. This senior hated a particular junior with a passion. He made life hell for him; at times he would beat mercilessly for either petty things or no good reason. The boy graduated and joined a martial arts club. He later became a professional. On his way home one evening, he noticed a figure that looked just like his old senior approaching. When he got close, lo and behold it was the old wicked senior. The senior recognized him and didn’t know what to do. Since it was in a lonely park, he began to shake because there was no one around. The senior forgot that there will be a tomorrow.

ACTION POINT: Remember there is always a tomorrow so don’t be wicked.