It's both sad and startling. People you once thought were so
solid turn out to be houses built on sand, seeds sprouting on rocky ground.
I've watched others drowned by foolish and hurtful lusts, choked by weeds and
many who live by lying to themselves about everything they do and the whole of
their motivations.
And yet the greatest evil is that which is committed by the
one sowing discord, one who works to destroy the relationships of family
members and friends. It is the perverse and abominable man who sows strife and
through whispering and plots separates friends. He does it simply because it
brings him pleasure to destroy and manipulate others.
Trust is destroyed and without that there is nothing.
God sees their deeds and knows their hearts. There is a type
of comfort in that, knowing that they will answer for what they do. But
vengeance brings no joy. It took me many years to learn that but it's very hard
to escape bitterness. Sometimes pursuing peace and holiness means letting the
worldlings glory in their shallow victories and walking away and leaving it in
the Lord's care.
We live in an age of treachery and deceit, an era of sorrow
and lamentation. Our hope is in the Age to Come.
Truly the Day of the Lord is rightly called terrible, a day
of darkness and tears. But God will wipe them away and the former things will
pass.
