Verse Twenty One: Proverbs 2:14

They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. Pro 2:14

19 of 44 of H1523

Wow. 

I have been staring and praying and staring some more at this for a while now. It's the second or third time I have come back to this entry, simply because all the sudden my little project went from being a poetic heart cry to a very real warning. And it throws me for a loop! What does that say about me? It's rather eye opening.... convicting... life isn't a blissful leap from one joyous moment to the next, joy isn't all about me and a feeling and joy certainly isn't reserved for the good things of this world. Otherwise the choice would be easy, wouldn't it? On the other side of that decision, to be a Christ follower, I know the reward, the worth, the value of walking with Him and that it truly outshines anything the world has to offer. I also remember the truth of my past, that there was a time that I took pleasure in doing wrong and enjoyed the ways of evil. For a time, in the moment, it was easy to do. I said, "No regrets!" and I believed it. 

We may be capable of experiencing joy when we indulge in evil, but its not the same joy we experience with Christ. We've seen the overpowering evidence of this through the testimonies in Psalms and all of the circumstances that joy can overcome and now in Proverbs we are given a new insight and perspective. It's almost like the difference between the right and left brain :) Proverbs approaches the matter from a different angle: Wisdom. 

Two verses stood out to me as I read Proverbs 2. Proverbs 2:10 (NLT) says, "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy." Verse 21 and 22 says, "For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted." 

The path of wisdom and righteousness brings joy, and yet we also see that evil can bring joy. So what's the difference? Why choose one over the other? I feel verses 21 and 22 hold the key when they describe the wicked being "removed from the land". In my experience, the joy that evil brought was short lived. I felt empty...just...void. I tried to do what gave me pleasure before and it left me lifeless. It was like being cut off, Joy was the land and I couldn't stay, because accessing it through wicked means couldn't only last for so long. Eventually, I'd be uprooted and unable to get back that way. Maybe this is why we jump from thing to thing when we don't have Christ. But the joy brought by wisdom to those who are truthful and whole (and the only way to be whole on every level is through the healing power of Jesus) THAT joy will reain and we will remain in it. Thank you, Lord!