Angel Appears to Joseph in a Dream_Anton Raphael Mengs._c. 1773-1774Matthew 1.20-23 NLT
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Isaiah 7.14)
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!
Peanut Gallery: Evil in the hearts of men is not something new. Truth be told… it’s part of our human condition. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with it.
Romans 7:21-25 NLT
“I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The Apostle Paul knew… “The Shadow” knew… so why do horrific acts of evil catch us by surprise? Perhaps it’s because we are looking in the wrong place – outside ourselves, all around us – instead of inside our own hearts and minds… where the seeds of evil take root.
But would we recognize these seeds if we saw them?
His article has been copied below, for your convenience… but please follow the above link to the original and check out the comments. Perhaps you would like to add your own.
Oh… and the Apostle Paul had the last word on the subject:
Romans 8.1-2 NLT
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
To understand evil, we must set aside the comfortable belief that we would never do anything wrong. Instead, we must begin to ask ourselves, what would it take for me to do such things? Assume that it would be possible. — Roy Baumeister
Many people consider monsters like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin somehow uniquely evil. They imagine them as malevolent, abominable, nearly inhuman entities who spent their days scheming to inflict misery on other humans for the sheer sadistic pleasure of it.
The truth is much more terrifying: human beings as evil and ruthless as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao are so common that we pass them on the street daily, see them on TV, and may even have the misfortune of knowing them personally. The real difference between these notorious butchers and the guy in a federal prison is not so much the degree of depravity, but the unchecked power needed to make his darkest desires reality.
Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright ’round yon virgin mother and child; holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight, glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing alleluia; Christ, the Savior, is born! Christ, the Savior, is born!
Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light, radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice. He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor.
Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright ’round yon virgin mother and child; holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.
