Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. 1 Peter 2:1-2 (KJV)
Before we were saved, we were easily filled with anger, easily
filled with wrath, even with malice. There were times when we just felt
mean. Nobody did anything to us, but we just did something to somebody
because we felt like doing it. Now that we are born again, we must put
away anger, wrath, and malice.
Malice is an intent to commit an unlawful act or to cause harm
without justification. Now some folks are just downright mean. Do you
know anybody like that? They can be downright ornery. They have no
reason to plot to do something against somebody, but they do it anyway.
It
is unfortunate, but before we were saved, we acted with malice. This is
a non-Christian behavior. But now that we are saved, it is time to put
that away. Christians do not plot to harm other people with or without
reason. Christians think the best of every person. And since you are
thinking the best instead of harm, you are planning blessings for
others, with or without reason.
Children get angry and act with malice like that all the time
because they have not been taught yet. They haven't learned how to
resist the enemy and how to flow in God's love. So, you will see a kid
and nobody has done anything to that kid. But that kid will sit there
and plan how to 'do in' somebody, and then he will do it. Have you ever
watched what two and three year olds will do to each other? One kid will
be playing by himself, and another kid will set a trap for him. Or he
might come over there and whop the other kid upside the head for no
reason. That is the nature of sin. Those are the clothes that you had on
coming into this world.
But it is time to put on some new clothes now. You are no longer of
this world now that you are born again. You are in this world, but you
are not of this world. Therefore, you do not operate the way the world
operates. You have a different instruction book. It is called the Bible.
And the Bible will help you to put off that old way of malice and put
on the new way of love.
Scripture References: John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 5:8; Colossians 3:8
Artis L. Smith
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