 Meditations on Proverbs Proverbs 10: 25
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. Night and day complete the day and never shall one be the other. Good and evil will always exist side by side until the Lord decides the time has come for his return. Until then the wicked and the righteous shall live in the same world together, yet one shall not be the other. But while the righteous man has all of eternity to look forward to as he will be in the presence of God and will enjoy heavenly blessings, the wicked will be tormented by the everlasting fire and separated forever from the righteous. “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into the barn.” (Matthew 13: 30) This separation is permanent and there is no hope again for the wicked once death occurs. “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence.” (Luke 16: 26) So while it appears many times that the wicked enjoy success and the righteous suffer persecution, the appearance is only temporary even in this life for “The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of the transgressors shall destroy them.” (Proverbs 12: 3) The wicked are always working to make the surface of their lives presentable and acceptable to people. They live on the surface looking for happiness through things, other people, success, power, etc. But on the inside, their bellies feel hollow or are knotted up with balls of iron. The wicked run away further and further from their inside experience into the next pleasure or outside attraction always hoping that they will find the answer which takes away the gnawing occurring inside. The righteous are building the kingdom within and have their eyes on Jesus. Jesus said that the kingdom was within that this was what he was building. His kingdom is His presence within the heart of man established through the power of the Holy Spirit and experienced as the very life of God. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6: 19) Inside, the righteous man lives fully and completely even to the point where his cup runneth over. What he has within constantly desires to burst forth and be shared with any who wish to partake. Thank you Jesus for your Holy Spirit living in me. There is nothing righteous in me or about me without your saving grace and love. By living in you, I become transformed and am made righteous. - -excerpt is taken from the Daily Meditations by Michael Beiring of 4-27 ©2005 CopperCountry.com,Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |