Abstain from the Appearance of Evil  1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from every form of evil.”  “to hold back, keep off, prevent” (Thayer’s Lexicon)

1 Thessalonians 5:22  “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” KJV  It is not enough to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong.

One Should Depart even from that which appears to be wrong!  Romans 14:19-23, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because [he does] not [eat] from faith; for whatever [is] not from faith is sin.”

What does the World Say?  “Let your conscience be your guide.”  “It don’t hurt to look.”  “How can it be so wrong, when it feels so right” (Old Western song)  “Everybody is doing it.”  BIBLE TRUTH IS NOT DECIDED BY WHAT FEELS GOOD OR SEEMS RIGHT! Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems..”

DIAMOND BACK JUBILEE  Lometa, TX., has its annual “rattle snake round up” on the last Saturday of March.  This year they collected over 700 lbs. of rattle snakes.

My grandchildren were impressed by those snakes. The workers setup a large box made of plywood and put chicken wire over the top, leaving some parts of it open. You can stand and lean over the tall sides to see the hundreds and hundreds of rattle snakes that have been collected.

Is a Picture worth a Thousand Words?  We could warn our grandchildren about rattle snakes until we were blue in the face, but seeing and hearing those snakes left a lasting impression.  Now, if they see something moving in the grass, or hear a rattle, they know to be on guard, to be aware, to be awake!

Our grandchildren are now forewarned.  We don’t have to worry about them abstaining from “even the appearance of” a snake, because they now know the danger.  (But if they go without a flash light, what then?)  Do you really have to get bitten to understand the danger?

Galatians 6:7-8  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Ecclesiastes 8:11 “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

There are those who refuse to see the danger in the things they say or do.  Galatians 6:7-8  There are those who equate sin with “matters of opinion.”  Some believe sin is something to be left in the eye of the beholder!“  Some bind where the scriptures do not!

The Pathway of a Christian Romans 12:9, “[Let] love [be] without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”

Job 28:28  “And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to depart from evil [is] understanding.' "

What Pathway are You On?  Proverbs 3:7, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.”  Proverbs 14:16, “A wise [man] fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident.”  Proverbs 16:17, “The highway of the upright [is] to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.”

You are Walking a Pathway  Where is it leading you to?  Will it lead you to Everlasting life?  Or will it lead you to a “devil’s Hell?”