Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

I’m writing this on the Friday of our HOPE class. The students will be studying about Bible Truth #7 -­ “Your Sin Affects Other People”, during their group time. They will be studying about how Lot’s sin affected his family and others. They will also see how the Israelite parents negatively affected their children while preparing to leave Egypt and during their wanderings. Our sins and selfishness are harmful, not just to ourselves, but to others. Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

From Psalm 34, Ephesians 4, and Colossians 3 God teaches us that he expects more of us than to just not sin or harm others. We can’t get away with saying, “I’m only hurting myself.” We are never just hurting ourselves; others are always affected. But Christ  wants us to do good and to be a blessing to others. Instead of being the center of negative drama, we are to build up those around us. We are to put off sinful behavior and put on those qualities that edify and bless others. We are to seek their good.

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Christ teaches us that we aren’t to just put off the sins of verse 31 and think we are OK. He expects us to replace those sins with the good actions of verse 32, in order that we can be a blessing to and edify others.

1 Peter 3:10-12 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Ron Cox – Director of HOPE Ministry