50 Days of Wisdom
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Wisdom is a skill in living that begins with fearing God, then progresses to guarding your mind, choosing your companions, controlling your body, monitoring your words, pursuing your work, managing your money, and loving your neighbor. Very simple. But that’s it. And when you’ve done that, you’ve learned wisdom. It’s vital to be taught wisdom. For example, as a father, if I fail to teach my son to fear God, the devil will teach him to hate God. If I fail to teach my son to guard his mind, the devil will teach him to have an open mind. If I fail to teach my son to obey his parents, the devil will teach him to rebel and break his parents’ hearts. If I fail to teach my son to select his companions carefully, the devil will choose them for him. If I fail to teach my son to control his body, the devil will gladly teach him to give it completely over to his lusts. If I fail to teach my children to enjoy speech that is honorable to God, the devil will fill their mouths with filth. If I fail to teach my children to pursue their work, the devil will make them lazy. If I fail to teach them to manage their money, the devil will teach them to waste it on riotous living. If I fail to teach them to love their neighbor, the devil will gladly teach them to love only themselves. And the only reason I can pass any of this wisdom on to my children is because God has graciously made it all available in the Bible.
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Day 655
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Proverbs 4:5 - Acquire Wisdom!
What is Evil?
When God created angels and God created humans, He gave them intelligence, He gave them reason, and He gave them choice. And there is a sequence. I put those words in that order for a purpose. Intelligence gave them the ability to understand things. Reason gave them the ability to process that understanding toward behavior. And choice gave them the freedom to determine that behavior. Intelligence, reason, and choice. Bottom line: with what they knew, and with the ability they had to process that information, they would be brought to a choice. And whether angels or men, they would have the choice either to obey God or not to obey God. And listen to this: to disobey God was to initiate evil. Evil is not the presence of something; evil is the absence of something, righteousness. You can’t create evil because evil doesn’t exist as a created entity. It doesn’t exist as a created reality. Evil is a negative. Evil is the absence of perfection. It’s the absence of holiness. It’s the absence of goodness. It’s the absence of righteousness. Evil became a reality only when God’s creatures chose to disobey Him. Evil, then, came into existence initially in the fall of angels and then next, in the fall of Adam and Eve. Just put it this way in your mind: Evil is not a created thing, a substance, an entity, a being, a force, or some floating spirit. Evil is a lack of moral perfection. You see, God created absolute perfection, and wherever a lack of that exists, sin exists. And that cannot exist in God's nature or in anything that God makes. Evil comes into existence when God’s creatures fall short of the standard of moral perfection. Now, let me take it a step further. God did not create evil, He did not author evil, and He did not make evil. But listen carefully, it's critical: God did decree to use evil as a part of His eternal plan, okay? He will not be culpable for it. He did not bring it into existence. That would be impossible because God is good, all good, and only good. Therefore, whatever comes out of Him is all good and only good. God can therefore produce only good. And what is evil is the absence of that good, which is a choice made by the reasonings, based upon the information revealed through His creatures. But God was not caught off guard. In fact, God decreed that evil would be part of His plan. He is not the creator of evil, and He is not the cause of evil. He did not bring evil into existence in a cosmic sense, and He did not and does not bring evil into existence in a personal sense. He is not the cause of sin, nor is He the cause of sins in the lives of people. But He does use it for His purposes. So, God does not create evil, but God does bring judgment on evil, creating therefore the calamity by which evil is judged. Evil and sin come into existence when the standard of moral perfection is not met, and that is an act based upon intellect, reason, and choice made by His creatures. Other than Scripture, which is God’s Word, there’s absolutely nowhere else to go to understand evil and sin. That’s all we know. Beyond that, we operate in faith. Repent and believe! GTY.org (90-235) - The Origin of Evil - 90-235
Today's Wisdom
May 14, 2026
Day: 919
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Grace and peace,
My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, “I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.
The Truth in Love,
Mark Paul - Servant of God
Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen
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