I told my Bible teacher that I spend far too much time being astonished at what people do – rather than praying for them. Our LORD tells us that we are like dogs, and repeat the same offenses over and over again – eagerly swallowing sin as a dog does his own vomit. The underlying question is – why? Why do sheeple persist in making the same (and quite obvious) mistakes over and over again?
The answer to that question is contained within our hearts. If my own heart were truly righteous, I wouldn’t spend so much time in a state of incredulity, and instead, would be delving into the Word of God and praying for those who continually fall into sin (myself included.)
THE FACT IS – IF WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ROTTEN – WE WILL FIND IT
Proverbs 11:27
He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
Applying logic to this Proverb, it becomes quite obvious what we should be seeking after (that is, if we desire to reflect the righteousness of Christ to the world.) Seeking good, is the same as seeking God, because only God is good. Jesus and only Jesus should be the mantra of the righteous believers of God.
The Lord says that if we are seeking after mischief, we will find it. Haman sought mischief, when he machinated the hanging of Mordecai. Yet – it was Haman who was the receiver of all the mischief he had devised in his own heart. In the same vein of thought, does this mean that others are contemplating my behavior and sinfulness? Very likely. This is a deep thing of God for us to take in. While we are to earnestly contend for the faith and rebuke sin, we must be ever vigilant to avoid hypocrisy. If, I, myself, have a besetting sin which I continually fall back into, how can I righteously judge a fellow believer who does the same? Herein is the patience of the saints. We must strive daily to die to ourselves, and let the righteousness of Christ shine forth to a dark and dying world. It is a struggle we must all partake in, until the LORD calls us home.
The Vine Vigil 