Inspired to Shun Evil

S = Scripture
Job 1:6-8 – “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it”. Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

O = Observation
What was being said of Job? He was blameless, upright, feared God and shunned evil. These qualities are what set Job apart in God’s eyes as able to be trusted in a time of testing. What do I know of these? I consulted Webster’s dictionary. Fascinating! UPRIGHT is something that is raised or directed vertically or upward. It is also sometimes translated “of complete integrity” in some versions. INTEGRITY, meaning a complete entity, undivided, whole, untouched. SHUN = To keep away from (a place, person, object, etc), to take pains to avoid, to fear.

A = Application
I sometimes finding myself yearning for even a paltry compliment like, “Good dinner, mom” or “Thanks for having my jersey clean for the game.” Lost in the day-to-day tasks is a hunger for a Compliment with a capital “C” from God. Here in the beginning verses of Job is an amazing prescription for what pleases my Father and earns his trust – being blameless, upright, fearing Him and shunning evil. Each of them packs a punch of their own, but the one that has footprints all over my heart today is that he “shunned evil” – he kept away from it, took pains to avoid it, and feared it. Too often I’m like the child walking around a fountain not really intending to fall in but certainly not “taking pains to avoid it” or “fearing it”. These verses awaken me to the danger of sin; to be aware of what is at stake. It is NOT benign. I’m reminded of a quote I read this week that “Sin is not to be viewed as a bad habit but as deadly.” In my desire for my Father’s smile I need to be proactive in my attitude toward sin. I can’t have a nibble or a taste or a step down the path. I need to shun it. Completely! That will be easier if I am living uprightly (directed vertically, upward) and asking God to make me a woman of integrity (to be complete and undivided) in my thoughts and attitudes and actions.

P = Prayer
Father, thank you for loving me so much that you continue to redirect me to not only good paths, but the best path; not toward only a moral life, but an undivided life. I acknowledge that I could never do this without your Holy Spirit’s moment-by-moment promptings and whispers. Father, please make me increasingly sensitive to your Spirit and empower me to completely shun evil. Your love amazes me!