Knowledge of Good and Evil

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Going to Las Vegas is always an interesting experience for me. I go primarily to enjoy a NASCAR race. It is a great time to get away for a few days and have fun with friends who share a common interest. The excitement of the race, the people watching, and the food in Las Vegas all make for a great time. This is all starkly contrasted against the other side of Las Vegas, the ever present evil side of Las Vegas.

There is a balance in our world between good and evil. Frequently we hear when evil is out of balance. Usually it comes in the form of news of a sensational crime splashed across the headlines, or blasting out on Twitter & Facebook. News travels fast regardless of the media or method.  Evil has two purposes.  It hurts immediately those who are directly involved, and it reaches out and tries to hurt those on the periphery. While you and I may not live in the immediate zone of influence of evil when an event occurs, we are nonetheless impacted by it.  Our lives are forever changed in some instances. A good example of this is the tragedy of 9/11.  The lives of thousands at Ground Zero and their families were immediately impacted.  And the lives of almost everyone on the planet Earth were impacted as a result of the actions taken on the part of a few who chose evil over good.  Evil held the day and continues to try to hold the day in the form of despair and fear.  Evil will continue to try to win out if we do not step back and take a fresh look at who is really in control. The knowledge of good and evil is one of if not the most important aspects of our lives. God has imprinted his laws on our heart (See Hebrews 8:10-11). We all know good from evil, and we all know how to escape temptation through prayer and study of the Word. But not everyone is willing to escape evil. There is a conscious decision made to embark on a path that takes a person away from the light of Christ. The action to commit a sin impacts not only those who initiate the action, but many innocent victims. The victims can be family, friends, coworkers, and many who are not even known to those who started down the path away from the light of Christ. Lives can be forever changed for those who sin, and those impacted by that sin.  The thought to sin is planted, the risk is minimized, and then it happens. That is why we learn that sin begins even before the thought occurs. We are sinful by nature. We sin against the Lord in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds by what we have done and by what we have left undone. That might sound familiar to a few of us Lutherans.  And that is why we need a Savior. We are error prone, likely to fail, and rely on the grace of God to bring us back to a right relationship with Him. It is a constant battle, the war between good and evil. There are millions of casualties on the field of battle. We all must stay close to God in prayer and study of His word. We must not let evil rule our day lest we too become casualties.

PRAYER: Father, Abba, we are sorely tempted every second of every minute of every day by sin. We are constantly being sought out by the evil one. By ourselves we are hopeless. Save us Father!  We cannot resist the efforts of Satan without You in our lives. Give us the knowledge, the strength, and the courage to resist the call of Satan to join his legions. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus Christ who was tempted by the devil and resisted, just as we too need to resist. Amen.